'I didn't know he could skate like that': Markkanen takes ice ahead of Utah HC's debut
Smith was the one who came up with the idea to put Markkanen — the Jazz's All-Star caliber forward — on skates. The initial plan was for Markkanen to skate out during the Utah Hockey Club's team introduction last spring, but there wasn't enough free ice space to pull it off properly. The opener, though, was a different story.