CALGARY, AB -- The West Coast ties haven't broken entirely. They've only been loosened.

"Vancouver,'' Glen Gulutzan is saying, "will always be special to me. I really enjoyed my time there. I still have a great caring for and understanding of the people in that organization.

"Playing the Canucks? Well, Willie (Desjardins) and I would probably say the same thing: If you've ever competed against, say, a good buddy or your brother, it's that sort of situation.

"Cards. Hoops. Ping-pong.

"Whatever.

"Man, when you start playing against someone close to you it always seems you want to beat him more than the guy you don't know, right?

"So, yeah, I'm really going to want to beat the Vancouver Canucks.

"I'm sure Willie and everyone over on that side would say the same thing about beating us."

CALGARY, AB -- The Calgary Flames announced today that they have assigned eight players to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Stockton Heat: Mikkel Aagaard (C), Mike Angelidis (C), Matt Bailey (C), Jamie Devane (LW), Stepan Falkovsky (D), Keegan Kanzig (D), Mason McDonald (G), and Brett Pollock (RW). The Flames also announced that they have assigned the following three players to their respective junior clubs: Riley Bruce (North Bay/OHL), Dillon Dube (Kelowna/WHL), and Eetu Tuulola (Everett/WHL).

Calgary has 49 players remaining at training camp (5x goalies, 17x defencemen, 27x forwards).

CALGARY, AB -- Funny, suggested Matt Stajan, how things always seem to circle back.

A fresh-faced Mark Jankowski can remember a time when his family would pile in the car and head down to the Air Canada Centre to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Among those the budding minor hockey star would key in on?

Stajan.

The one helping Jankowski through his first training camp experience with the Calgary Flames.

CALGARY, AB -- A familiar face is always comforting. 

And at this stage, there's probably none more comforting to Alex Chiasson than Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. 

It's under the man affectionately referred to as 'Gully' that the man affectionately known as 'Chaser' had the most promising stretch of the 25-year-old's young career. 

"It's huge," Chiasson started.

"At the same time I know from talking to him that things aren't going to be handed to me, also. He knows I'm capable of being successful and in what position, whether it's 5-on-5 or power play … in those types of positions. 

"I think it's going to be up to me, when that opportunity comes, to show what I'm capable of doing. I know it's really important for a player to gain the trust of the coaching staff, and also the coaching staff to trust the player."

WINNIPEG, MB -- Brett Kulak scored twice and Chad Johnson and David Rittich combined for the shutout to help the Calgary Flames to a 3-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre in pre-season action Tuesday.
 
Freddie Hamilton also scored for the Flames (1-2-0). 
 
Johnson made 21 saves; Rittich stopped all six shots faced in the win.
 
Eric Comrie made 24 saves for the Jets (0-1-0). 
 
Hamilton scored his second goal in as many preseason games to put the Flames up 1-0 at 3:13 of the second period. After winning a faceoff back to Kulak in Winnipeg's end, Hamilton drove to the net to put back Comrie's rebound off the initial shot.

WINNIPEG, MB -- Garnet Hathaway doesn't ease himself into anything.

The 24-year-old Kennebunkport, ME product regularly operates on a high-octane, pedal-to-the-metal level that would leave most people breathless. There is no testing the waters. There is no getting acclimatized to situations. It's full-throttle, right from the get-go.

He showed that when he stepped into the lineup late last season and didn't tip-toe around any opponent. He threw himself into every shift, even getting under the skin of San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent Burns and pushing the hulking rearguard to drop the gloves to the delight of the 19,000+ at the Scotiabank Saddledome that evening.

And the 2016 pre-season? He is approaching it no differently than anything else he tackles.

WINNIPEG, MB -- If it were possible, Lance Bouma would wipe the 2015-16 season from his memory.

Expectations for the winger were high after he posted a career-high 16 goals and 34 points the year prior but his season was derailed by a multitude of injuries throughout the course of the 2015-16 campaign.

In total, he would dress for 44 games last year, scoring just two goals and seven points.

"Last year, was a disappointing year. A frustrating year all around," the 26-year-old said. "It's nice to put it behind me and have a fresh start. I'm looking forward to the start of this season for sure."

That fresh start begins tonight when suits up for the Flames pre-season tilt with the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre (6:00 PM MT, Sportsnet 960 The FAN).

WINNIPEG, MB -- The Calgary Flames will split the goaltending duties this evening when they face the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre (6:00 PM, Sportsnet 960 The FAN).

Chad Johnson will get the start tonight and Czech netminder David Rittich will play the back half of the contest.

It will be both goaltenders' Flames debut and their first pre-season action this fall.

"For me, my focus is just trying to get back in the rhythm of things," Johnson said after the Flames morning skate. "Get in that routine, get in the feel of the game, (feel) the speed again. As much as it's so early on in training camp, you want to try and get the feel right away.

"I'm going to try to get my feet back into it. It's been awhile ... the game situation stuff is a little different than practice. It's going to be fun."

FLAMES @ JETS - 6:00 PM MT - SPORTSNET 960 THE FAN (RADIO)

The Calgary Flames take on the Winnipeg Jets in their third pre-season game of the 2016-17 season. The group that played in Edmonton on Monday night traveled to Winnipeg but there will be roster changes this evening.

Here is the projected lineup for the Flames in Winnipeg:

FLAMES (0-2-0) @ JETS (0-0-0)
 
BROADCAST: 6:00 PM MT; TSN3 (TV), Sportsnet 960 The FAN (radio)
 
Season series: The Calgary Flames make a stop in Winnipeg on Tuesday for their third pre-season game of the year. The Flames dropped two games to the Edmonton Oilers in split squad action on Monday night, with the team in Calgary being edged 2-1 and the group in Edmonton falling 4-2. Tuesday's match-up will be Winnipeg's first exhibition game of the season. Mark Giordano scored in Calgary while Kenney Morrison and Freddie Hamilton netted the Flames goals in Edmonton.