Under Jay Feaster’s reign as general manager last summer, the Calgary Flames flew in some of the top students in the draft class to get a better feel for what those players were like.

Sean Monahan, Morgan Klimchuk, and Nic Petan were brought in individually by the team ahead of the 2013 National Hockey League draft. The former two wound up being chosen sixth and 28th overall, respectively.

And, picking up where Feaster and Co. left off, new GM Brad Treliving and his group have done the same these past few weeks, entertaining a select few from the 2014 crop. Among the players receiving the White Hat-treatment were highly-touted forwards Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, and defenceman Aaron Ekblad.

“Yeah, we’ve had a few players here,” the Flames current general manager was saying on Wednesday. “And the theory is just to get to know them more. We had a small window at the combine in terms of the interview process, so you spend a little time with some guys and really get a better feel for them.”

It’s not an uncommon practice for teams to do this. Treliving did so with the Phoenix Coyotes, his former employers.

With the nature of the NHL scouting combine, interview processes can be brief and can still leave teams wondering who the heck a kid is.

But, according to Treliving, the recent hosting of prospects isn’t the team’s only encounter with them this year.

“We’ve seen players at other times, too,” he said. “A lot of it is scheduling . . . for a lot of these kids, it’s a busy time for them. They have commitments. In some cases, school . . . we spent time with other players, too, whether it be at their homes leading up to the draft.”

A smart move considering the Flames will select fourth overall, their lone pick in the first round. No one is underestimating its’ importance, especially Treliving who is still relatively new on the job.

In his eyes, you can never be too prepared about a player — on or off the ice.

“Really, in a lot of cases, it’s selfishly for me to scout them,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of these kids. I get 10, 15-minutes that they’re scheduled (at the NHL combine). For me, it’s getting a little more time in not such a rushed environment, just to chat and learn more about them.”

The product? Just look at Monahan who cracked the rebuilding lineup as a rookie last fall and scored 22 goals — the Flames knew exactly the kind of player they were getting.

You could say the new GM feels the same way.

“When you’re making a selection, you’re making an investment,” Treliving said. “And when you’re making an investment, you can never have too much information. Everything plays a role, everything has an effect.”

ADD GOALIE COACH TO LIST

With the Flames electing not to renew the contract of goaltending coach Clint Malarchuk, Treliving now has another item on his to-do list.

“We’re in the market and have started the process of talking to people,” he said on Wednesday. “We’ll continue and hopefully get the right fit sooner rather than later.”