THEY love him because they've detected ice in his veins but the NHL's Vancouver Canucks have sent defenceman Alex Edler back to the Manitoba Moose to chill out.

Being tight to the NHL's salary cap, the Canucks saw no need to keep extra players around during the all-star break. And Edler, just 20, is not the polished, finished product just yet, despite the widespread raving he's received for his play as a rookie pro.

"I've told him before -- the big thing is consistency," said Moose coach Scott Arniel. "It's the same up there as down here. It's such a huge thing, and especially for a young defenceman. You can't be wishy-washy on that. It's been his trait all year long, his consistency."

Well, it was until just before the new year. By then, Edler had been to Vancouver twice and was back, and small glitches started to appear in his game. They were hardly alarming, especially considering his rookie status, but they were uncharacteristic.

"He was pretty excited when he first went up and was really good when he came back down," Arniel said. "But he kind of dropped off a bit but I know the message that came from Vancouver was about his consistency.

"I know Alain (Vigneault, Canucks coach) has talked to him about making sure he's the solid, same player every night, with no highs and lows." But with some injury concerns, Edler was summoned for a third time about 10 days ago, and he played three more times for Vancouver on its recent eastern road trip. He's now up to 16 NHL games but will suit up and most certainly play big minutes for the Moose when this week's three-game road trip kicks off Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

"Every time you get called up, it's the greatest feeling ever," said the native of Ostersund, Sweden, a third-round pick in the 2004 draft. "There's nothing bad about it at all. It's a great chance to get games up there, good for my confidence, good experience and it's a lot of fun."

The fun includes getting to hang out with fellow Swedes Markus Naslund, Mattias Ohlund and Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

"All the guys up there are really nice but of course, the Swedish guys are helping me a lot," Edler said. "They're taking care of me and it feels good to have a couple of Swedish guys you can ask questions and talk in your own language. That feels great."

Edler said he knows what his job is in this return to the Moose.

"I play more down here so I have to be good every night," he said. "Consistency is important. I play power play and PK here, a different role."

Arniel indicated he'll be paying close attention to Edler this week but that even the recent rough patch won't deter his expectations for the rookie blue-liner.

"We just want him to make strides forward," the coach said. "There are some things he has to continue to work on and that's why he's back down here. He'll probably go back up another time but while he's here, he enjoys this team, his teammates and he likes the amount of ice he gets and I'm expecting he'll just pick it up where he left off." The Moose face the Penguins Wednesday, then move on to Syracuse, N.Y., on Friday and to Hamilton on Saturday before the AHL's all-star break.

The Edler file

* Age: 20

* Drafted: third round of 2004

* NHL Games: 16

* AHL Games: 24

* Strengths: good reads, good passes. * His biggest lesson this season: confidence.

* Edler: "I didn't expect (call-ups) at the beginning of the season. When you get called up and they think you can play, you've got to think you can play, too. You've got to believe it yourself. That's the key. It's a lot in your head, confidence, and if you think you can do it, you can. When I came back (to the Moose in December), I had a lot of it. You feel it on the ice. You try things and you can do them. It's a lot about confidence."