It was pretty clear from the delight with which he spoke — Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen had a terrific time with the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday.

“I felt like a little kid skating out in an NHL arena,” Markkanen said.

Markkanen was chosen to bring out the puck for Utah’s opening game on Tuesday, handing it over to team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith to drop. The Finnish forward said the idea came together at Jazz head coach Will Hardy’s charity golf event, where he was paired with the Jazz owner.

Markkanen admitted he thought the experience was a “little nerve-wracking.”

But the puck delivery wasn’t the only thing Markkanen did on the ice on Tuesday. After the hockey club’s morning practice, and after afternoon rehearsals on how exactly the night would go down, Markkanen lingered on the Delta Center ice for much longer than he was asked.

“I was out there for probably like an hour, just skating around, shooting pucks,” Markkanen said. He said he feels a certain sense of freedom on the ice, comparing the disconnection he feels skating around the rink to that some NBA players feel while playing golf.

Utah Hockey Club forward Clayton Keller, though, revealed one slip up: that Markkanen fell at one point during his morning skate, which the 7-footer sheepishly confirmed.

Markkanen wasn’t the only Jazz player at the hockey game. Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, Isaiah Collier, Svi Mykhailiuk, Taylor Hendricks, Collin Sexton, Micah Potter, and more attended; fan-favorite Clarkson raved on social media about the hockey crowd, calling it “insane.”

“It was great vibes, great to have something in the city that’s new and different, a new experience,” Clarkson said.

Then Clarkson was asked: How did the hockey crowd stack up to the Jazz’s?

“I think it’s very similar, but definitely a different energy. It was all new, a new experience. Hockey crowds are a little rowdier, a little bit. Maybe we can get a beer chug or something at our games,” he joked, referencing the viral Jumbotron moments with fans finishing their beers on camera during stoppages of play.

Clarkson said he wasn’t an avid NHL fan, but watches the sport a little. He said he and Markkanen made the effort to attend a Los Angeles Kings game together when the team was in L.A. for a road game one or two years back, but plans on watching more games now that the league has found its way to Utah.

Markkanen certainly agrees. “The state is ready for hockey, just having another professional team around,” he said. “It’s going to obviously take some time to get to know all the players and stuff like that, but I think it was a really fun atmosphere to be the first game. Hopefully, people bring it every night.”