Penn State men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky traded the Penn State blue and white for the red and black of the Calgary Flames this offseason when he got the chance to join the NHL squad as a guest coach for its preseason training camp.

The #Flames are proud to welcome @PennStateMHKY head coach Guy Gadowsky as a #FlamesCamp guest coach! pic.twitter.com/lcALb6kDjI

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) September 16, 2017

The former head coach of Princeton got a glimpse of the early stages of the Flames’ camp and how players at the top level of pro hockey prepare themselves for the upcoming season.

.@PennStateMHKY head coach Guy Gadowsky talks about his #FlamesCamp guest coaching stint! https://t.co/DMCOy3r9a7

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) September 16, 2017

“It’s a tremendous experience, and I think our program can benefit from it as well,” Gadowsky told Flames TV. “Seeing how the best of the best prepare and what they do for that is really valuable for us.”

During his first press conference of the season last Thursday, Penn State’s bench boss further reflected on what he took away from the time he spent in Calgary.

“It was a great experience to see how they teach,” Gadowsky said. “They’re excellent teachers; they don’t just have great hockey minds, they really work at teaching it and that was really nice to see. Personally, I learned a lot at how hard they work at teaching the game, and that was really great to see.”

The experience in Calgary gave Gadowsky a chance to reconnect with Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. Gadowsky gave the second-year NHL coach his first job in coaching, hiring him onto the staff of his WCHL side, the Fresno Falcons, during his tenure as head coach from 1996-99 (or, as Gadowsky said, “a hundred years ago”).

“One thing for sure, their head coach, Glen Gulutzan, is obviously a tremendous hockey coach and hockey mind,” Gadowsky said. “He is such a good guy. I actually hired him for his first coaching job with Fresno, and found out just the kind of person he is.”

Gadowsky’s admiration for the Flames didn’t stop at Gulutzan. He offered high praise for the rest of the Flames’ coaching staff, despite being from the home of Calgary’s bitter rivals, the Edmonton Oilers.

“One thing about that staff, from the top on down, it’s not surprising that, because they are such quality, quality guys, that the environment is excellent. That’s something we try really hard to do here.”

Penn State starts its seventh season under Gadowsky this weekend, traveling to upstate New York for two games against Clarkson and St. Lawrence on October 6 and 7, respectively.