Blashill looking to pull best out of Jurco —like in AHL

Jeff Blashill wants to see the Tomas Jurco who was such a standout in the AHL.

The plan essentially is to hit the reset button for Jurco after his forgettable second season with the Red Wings.

Given a chance to appear in his third game of the season Tuesday, Jurco had a hand in setting up the lone Wings goal in the 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Jurco got a reprieve from the healthy scratch section after putting in some hard work at practice, showing he understands what Blashill wants to see.

"It is ultimately being in elite shape so he can skate nonstop in a game," Blashill said. "He is somebody who is going to be an effective player when he is able to go full-out at all times. That is what we have tried to work on with him.

"I am trying to translate tenacity to him, so if he is tenacious on the puck all the time, he is a really effective player."

Jurco, 22, has topped 100 games with the Wings, but his best work dates to the first third, when he came up from Grand Rapids during the 2013-14 season and delivered 15 points in 36 games. Last season he played in 63 games — and had three goals and 18 points.

Now Jurco is coached by the man who got the best out of him in Grand Rapids.

"I just have to skate hard and skate more," Jurco said. "That is main thing from Blashill — he thinks I can skate more. Once I do that, maybe make some plays to help me mentally."

In juniors, Jurco was a highly productive forward (he had two 30-goal seasons). In the AHL, he was a positive factor regularly in games.

"He left Grand Rapids as a great forechecker," Blashill said. "He was a point-a-game guy in the American league as a young kid. He came back in the playoffs and was one of the best players on the ice in the second round against Texas. He has got lots of ability; we just want to make sure he is getting the best out of himself."

Blashill said he "won't go into retrospect" when asked if Jurco could have used more seasoning in the AHL (former coach Mike Babcock insisted Jurco stay in Detroit).

"For us," Blashill said, "it is just looking at where do we go every day to help our guys get better."

■ Larkin update: As expected, Dylan Larkin is staying with the Wings past the 10-game mark (which kick-starts the first year of entry-level deal). He entered Tuesday night with seven points in eight games, averaging 16:44 of ice time. He produces regularly and is a positive factor.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Check out our new Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!