VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- He's still the last player off the ice, working himself to exhaustion, going through countless drills with associate coach Dave Lewis.

Rookie defenseman Jiri Fischer returned Monday from a 14-day conditioning stint at Cincinnati of the American Hockey League, and he hadn't changed a bit.

If anything, the experience motivated him even more.

"I appreciate what I have here," said Fischer, 19, sounding as if the experience was a demotion, which it wasn't.

It was simply a chance for Fischer to play, which he wasn't doing with the Red Wings. He hadn't played in the 10 previous games before heading to Cincinnati, but he was in the lineup Wednesday night when the Wings visited Vancouver. He played six shifts for a total of 3:13.

In seven games with Cincinnati, he had two assists.

"The reports we received on Jiri were good," Wings General Manager Ken Holland said.

Fischer said he got comfortable the longer he stayed in the minor league.

"At first, I was trying to do the things the veterans were doing up here," said Fischer, believing he could pull wily tricks on minor-league players. "It didn't work out. I wasn't playing very well."

But as Fischer got comfortable with his teammates (he was paired extensively with Jesse Wallin), things got better.

"I got more comfortable with the puck, I got a lot of ice time, it helped me out," said Fischer, who averaged 20 minutes a game.

He said the opportunity to play "helped me mentally."

If Fischer continues to sit and watch, the Wings could still send him to junior hockey, to his old team in Hull (Quebec Junior League), and let him play extensively while Hull competes in the junior playoffs.

"If it happens, it happens," Fischer said. "It would be nice to get a ring (championship)."

Holland is leaning toward keeping Fischer with the Wings, but much depends on how much he plays in coming weeks.