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Johnny Gaudreau, Peter Luukko among new owners of junior hockey team

Two men with ties to the area are among the new owners of a USHL team in Iowa.

Calgary Flames left winger Johnny Gaudreau has invested in one of his former teams.
Calgary Flames left winger Johnny Gaudreau has invested in one of his former teams.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer
    by Sam Carchidi | Columnist
    Published 

South Jersey's Johnny Gaudreau, a star left winger with the Calgary Flames, and former Flyers president Peter Luukko are among the people who have purchased an equity stake in the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League, the team announced Thursday.

Dan Bylsma, who coached Pittsburgh to a Stanley Cup in 2009, and the Buffalo Sabres' Zemgus Girgensons are also among the new owners of the Iowa-based club.

Luukko's son, Nick, was teammates with Gaudreau and Girgensons when the three played in Dubuque.

"The first day I stepped into Dubuque, I knew it was a special place," said the 5-foot-9, 157-pound Gaudreau, a four-time NHL all-star who had a career-high 84 points last season.  "I still have my billets [host family] come down to New Jersey every summer and still have a close relationship with them."

Gaudreau, 24, said the chance to be one of the owners was "an offer I couldn't refuse. I'm really excited to be a part of their future."

Luukko is the executive chairman of the Florida Panthers and Sunrise Sports and Entertainment.