Brad Lambert Post-game The Jets selected 18-year-old Finnish forward Markus Loponen with the 155th overall pick of the fifth round during the 2024 NHL Draft. The Oulu, Finland native made his first trip to North America last week and attended the Jets Development Camp. We sat down with Loponen and asked him a handful of questions so we could get to better know him. Jake: From getting drafted to training camp, it must be a lot to process your life completely changing in just a couple of weeks. What have the past few weeks been like? Markus: These weeks have been really great! I’ve learned a lot of new things and got to have great experiences. It's also been pretty busy. Right after the draft, I left Finland to travel to Winnipeg, where I stayed for a week. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C8z9RH8vC-Q[/embed] Jake: How was your development camp experience? Markus: It was a good experience. It was great to get to know the players a little and meet the organization's staff and at the same time get to know their way of working and developing the players. The playing style is different in North America compared to Finland and because of that I learned a lot there and it was just nice to play and compete on the ice with other good young players. Jake: How would you describe your experience so far with the organization since they drafted you? Markus: My experiences so far with the Jets have been only good. They gave me a great welcome to the organization and the other players were also nice and welcoming to the organization. The football game all the rookies went to was a wonderful experience as I have never been to a game like that before. Jake: You skated with Brad Lambert at Development Camp and he’s coming off a great season with the Manitoba Moose. Did you guys connect as you are both from Finland and did he give you any advice or tips during camp? Markus: I met Lambert for the first time the day before the camp started. He helped me get into the action and if there was something I didn't know, I could ask him for help. Tommi Männistö was also a good support as another Finn there and both are still good players from whom I could also learn game skills. Jake: What kind of player should Jets fans expect and what player would you say you model your game after? Markus: That's a difficult question because I'm just creating my North American player profile and I want to give myself time to learn a different style of play. I like watching Aleksander Barkov play a lot and I try to learn his style of play as well as possible. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWzCZZ2Ic6k[/embed] Jake: Is there any part of your game that you are looking to improve on this off-season? Did the Jets coaching staff give you any tips or anything specific to work on? Markus: I'm trying to improve my physical condition and especially my explosiveness. We also discussed the same qualities with the Jets coaches. Jake: Where and when did you find your love for hockey and was there a person in your life or a pro player or moment that really made you fall in love with the sport? Markus: I have been playing hockey since I was three years old. My older brother, five years older, played hockey and that's what got me started. I have fallen in love with the sport through my own experiences and doings, and ice hockey has always been a popular sport in Finland, so that has certainly had an impact. Jake: The plan for next season seems to be to return home and play in Liiga from what I’ve heard. ls that what the plan is for you as of right now? Markus: I have two options, one of which is to return to Oulu and the other really interesting option for me is to play in the Canadian junior league, WHL and with the team Victoria Royals.
