"I had a pretty special experience in Dubuque," Gaudreau said. "My agent said do you want to be part of the ownership group and I said yes right away."
Gaudreau and Girgensons were teammates with Dubuque in 2010-11, along with Nick Luukko, Peter Luukko's son, who currently plays for Reading of the ECHL.
Dubuque was a key stop for Gaudreau on his way to becoming an all-star forward for the Flames. Playing there as a 17-year-old, he led Dubuque and was fourth in the USHL with 72 points (30 goals, 36 assists). He was selected by the Flames in the fourth round (No. 104) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
"We had a really young team, lot of first-year guys, we were an expansion team," he said. "Had Jim Montgomery as a coach. Loved him as a coach, he was one of my favorite coaches I've gotten the chance to play for, loved playing for him. Did a lot not only for me but for our team. … Still talk to my billet family I lived with there. They come to every (NHL) All-Star Game, they come to Calgary every season, they come to my home in New Jersey, spend time down the shore with me. "Great memories, lot of great people in the city."
Gaudreau said he hasn't been back to Dubuque since he played there but said now that he's part of the ownership group he'll be making some trips to check out the facilities and the operations.
"When I was there it was a special experience playing out there," he said. "I want to help those kids have a special experience in the USHL too."
