New Flame Jones hooks up again with Sutter

It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say Blair Jones has come full circle.

Traded by then Red Deer Rebels headcoach, manager and owner brent Sutter to the Moose Jaw Warriors midway through the 2004-05 Western Hockey League campaign, Jones arrived back in Sutter’s Calgary Flames lineup Friday via another trade.

This time, the six-foot-three, 215-pound native of Central Butte, Sask., was obtained from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Abbotsford Heat defenceman Brendan Mikkelson as the Flames bolstered their depth at centre.

“That was a long time ago. It worked out well for me,” said Jones of the WHL deal that saw him join a very good Warriors team that included the likes of Dustin Boyd and Troy Brouwer. “I hope it works out as well for me with Calgary. I’m excited. It’s a new opportunity and I’m looking forward to it.”

Toss in the fact Jones was in the Tampa system while Flames general manager Jay Feaster was GM of the Lighting and it’s almost like an old homecoming.

“Blair is a player that both Brent Sutter and I are familiar with,” said Feaster in a written release to the media. “He is a good sized centreman and someone we feel will fit in well here with our organization.”

Jones didn’t know if he’d suit up tonight against the Minnesota Wild ( 8p.m.,cbc,sn960radio) when the injury-riddled Flames open a four-game homestand following a wretched seven-game road trip that ended with a resounding 9-0 thud at Boston on Thursday.

It seemed his chances of dressing were good, however, after the club reassigned forward Raitis Ivanans to the Heat upon their return to Calgary on Friday afternoon.

As far as Thursday’s embarrassing performance at the home of the NHL leaders, Flames club president and CEO Ken King said there would be no “knee-jerk reaction.”

“We’re not giving a reaction to the 9-0 drubbing other than we dislike it as much as anyone else,” he said. “I can also tell you there’s no smoking gun laying in the weeds anywhere.”

Both Jones and Mikkelson were drafted in 2005, the 25-year-old Jones taken in the fourth round by Tampa Bay and the 24-year-old Mikkelson in the second round by Anaheim. Mikkelson has 86 games in the league, 19 of those with Calgary, while Jones has 78, including a career-high 22 games this season with the Lightning.

Jones said he didn’t have any sense there was a deal blowing in the wind.

“It kind of caught me off guard this morning,” said Jones, of how he received the trade news. “Stevie (general manager yzerman) called me and said I’d been traded to Calgary.

“I didn’t ask for who or anything . . . I was just getting up, so it totally caught me off guard. That being said, I’m definitely excited about it.”

Jones actually won a roster spot with the Lightning coming out of training camp for the first time this season, but soon found himself on the shuttle between the NHL and the team’s American league club in Norfolk.

In fact, he cleared waivers within the past month when he was sent down, but was recalled when Martin St. Louis was knocked out of the lineup by a puck to the face in practice.

He promptly reeled off a careerhigh three-game points streak to raise his NHL totals four goals and six assists.

“I’m working to establish myself full time,” said Jones.” The last probably 10-12 games, I’ve been feeling a lot better, kind of getting a lot more confidence and what not. I’m just trying to progress day to day and now a fresh start . . .

“I’m just excited to get in a game, get the nervous feelings out and try and settle in and play.”

I’m working to establish myself full time. The last probably 10-12 games, I’ve been . . . getting a lot more confidence

BLAIR JONES