By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

Hang on to those Upper Deck rookie redemptions.

The company will begin redeeming its NHL rookie redemptions found in 2012-13 Upper Deck Series 1 and 2012-13 Artifacts starting in July, the earliest card companies can produce cards of this season’s newest players.

When the NHLPA instituted a restriction on Rookie Cards for this season, many collectors wondered what would happen to the rookie redemptions they stockpiled. Many bought Edmonton Oilers redemptions out of Artifacts in hopes it would be 2012 No. 1 draft pick Nail Yakupov.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know who will be on the cards.

“We will be announcing specific players for the rookie redemption cards in 2012-13 NHL Artifacts and 2012-13 NHL Upper Deck Series One in coming months,” the company wrote on its blog.

Related post: NHLPA restricts 2012-13 rookie class on cards

These redemptions could include any rookies from this season, including late-season call-ups.

Upper Deck released this information on the heels of a previous announcement where it canceled three products for this season. Panini America canceled most of its 2012-13 schedule as well.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Hockey. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

In The Game’s Dr. Brian Price weighed his options.

Last summer, he was presented with a proposal – the opportunity to receive an NHL Players Association license for one year, producing two releases. Create NHLPA-licensed cards, and utilize rookies and stars in a potential locked out season? Or continue ITG’s strategy?

Price turned down the proposal.

“Sometimes the deals you don’t make are your best deals,” Price said.

Had he accepted the proposal, Price would have suffered from this season’s lockout and the loss of new Rookie Cards, a decision announced Wednesday by the NHLPA.

The exclusion of additional rookies in 2012-13 should have the greatest impacts on card store owners, something that worries Price.

“I have great concerns for the dealers whose primary sales come from hockey trading cards. While these dealers struggled during the hockey lockout, they anxiously waited for the game to get back on the ice so that they could enjoy ‘business as usual,’” Price said. “Well the lockout was resolved, but this announcement seems to be just as devastating.

“Let’s face it – the dealers are the core of the industry and without them, collectors would not be able to find the products they are looking for.”

Even so, Price understands how he can affect the marketplace. He still intends to produce products such as Heroes and Prospects coming out at the end of January and Motown Madness coming out in February. Price will also increase dealer programs to help traffic, a way to offset this season’s diminished card offerings.

The shortened NHL season officially starts Saturday. While hockey fans are happy the league is playing again, this is a bittersweet time for collectors – and that’s how Price also sees himself. He’s makes hockey cards, but he is also a fan and a collector.

“As a collector myself, I don’t feel that this decision is a good one,” Price said. “There is a season, although shortened. There are rookies playing this year. It is not like the 2004-05 season where there was no choice.”

While Price is disappointed by the decision to exclude new rookies, he also realizes how difficult the situation was.

“I am sure there are factors that went into this decision that are way over my head,” he said. “If both Upper Deck and Panini agreed to this solution, then who am I to judge their rationale?”

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Hockey. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.

By Susan Lulgjuraj  | Beckett Hockey Editor

No new rookies.

That’s the simplest way of putting it. The NHL Players Association released a statement on Wednesday stating the only rookies eligible for 2012-13 products would be those who debuted after last year’s All-Star Game through the end of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.

That means players such as Nail Yakupov – should he play for Edmonton in a lockout-shortened season – won’t get an official NHL Rookie Card until 2013-14 products.

There will essentially be a double crop of rookies, creating a situation much like the 2005-06 season. However, in that case, the previous season was canceled.

Click here to read the full statement from the NHLPA

Card dealers and collectors weren’t surprised by the news, as they knew it could be a possibility. But they are definitely frustrated as they hoped for a push in 2012-13 products that won’t be coming.

This card season could have devastating implications for Canadian card shops that rely heavily on hockey card sales.

Grosner Distribution, one of the largest distributors in Canada, will be impacted as well, and company president David Yeates is not pleased with the decision.

“I would have voted for immediate inclusion of rookies in 2012/13 products,” said Yeates, who did not participate in the discussions because he was in China, in an email. “Without these rookies, Panini and Upper Deck will cancel releases and stores will have less to sell for the next six months.”

On Wednesday, many card shop owners received an email from Panini America stating many products were canceled this season, which Panini confirmed on Thursday.

The remaining products on Panini’s calendar are Limited, scheduled to release in February, Rookie Anthology (June) and Panini Prime (August).

The canceled products include fan favorites Titanium and Dominion.

“We are excited for the NHL and NHL Players to return to the ice and look forward to delivering NHL/NHLPA trading cards to eager hockey fans around the world,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “We look forward to working with the league and its players to continue the momentum the hockey trading card category experienced last season. The time away from the game has only strengthened the demand and anticipation for new Panini America NHL/NHLPA trading card products.”

Dealers and distributors are preparing for a soft season on hockey cards with the product missing more than its Panini releases.

“It’s hard to say if those dollars will be replaced in 2013/14 or if all the current CDD’s will survive until then,” Yeates added. “I think the joy of the start of the 2012/13 NHL season, has now been crushed by this decision, for all those in the trading card business.

A reduction in products would not come as a surprise.

Many of the Panini and Upper Deck’s products rely heavily on Rookie Cards. With the rookie crop limited to a handful of good players in 2012-13 products, it could be difficult to sell products well.

Many dealers have already reported slow sales from early season products and without new rookies that would not likely change.

“We expect sluggish sales for 12/13 products for the rest of the year and we’ll personally be stocking less than we normally would of whatever products end up getting released,” said Joey Collins of Canada Card World. “We also think this announcement will have lasting, and in some cases, devastating effects to a lot of Canadian dealers who rely heavily on strong hockey product sales.”

Upper Deck has not released information regarding the future of its hockey products.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Hockey. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.

Statement from the NHLPA’s Adam Larry:

“Over the past few months, the NHLPA has been assessing the impact that a lockout shortened season would have on our trading card business, as well as how to specifically the rookie card class of 2012-13. After discussions both internally and externally, including with many stakeholders within the trading card industry, we have decided to restrict the rookie class for the 2012-13 product to those players who debuted between the 2012 All-Star Game and the conclusion of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. This means that all rookies who debut during the 2012-13 season will have their rookie cards appear in 2013-14 products.

The NHLPA encourages collectors to check Panini’s and Upper Deck’s official blogs for more details on their respective upcoming 2012-13 releases. We look forward to continuing our relationship with both Panini and Upper Deck to bring the best hockey players in the world to life through the dynamic and expanding trading card market.”

Translation: There will be no new Rookie Cards in product in 2012-13. The rookies that are in products now such as ChrisKreider, Sven Baertschi and JadenSchwartz will be the only rookies in products this season.

However, that makes 2013-14 products loaded just as it was in 2005-06, the season after the last lockout.

Look for more on Beckett.com in the coming days.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

The hockey world woke up to exciting news Sunday morning. The NHL and NHL Players Association reached a tentative agreement to play hockey this season.

If the agreement holds up, there shouldn’t be a work stoppage for at least 10 years.

There have only been 11 hockey products between In The Game, Upper Deck and Panini America so for this season. But the upcoming schedule has several products coming out within the next couple of weeks.

Collectors are happy to get new rookies into their products. The top three rookies in early 2012-13 products have been Chris Kreider, Jaden Schwartz and Sven Baertschi.

Right now, it’s time to enjoy getting hockey back. In a few days, we’ll break down what we can expect.

What player are you most looking forward to seeing this season?

In the meantime, enjoy these tweets from hockey players and fans about the lockout ending.

Upcoming products
Jan. 15 – Upper Deck SP Game-Used
Jan. 16 – Panini Titanium
Jan. 30 – Panini Limited

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Hockey. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

Some collectors realized many of Anaheim Ducks Devante Smith-Pelly’s recent autograph cards were stamped and not actually signed by the player.

The NHL Players Association learned of the mistake and is working with Smith-Pelly, Upper Deck and Panini to fix the issue.

“It turns out he did stamp the cards, it affects five products,” said Adam Larry, director of licensing for the NHLPA. “It was just an error in judgment. There wasn’t any bad intention on his behalf.”

The five products in this scenario are Upper Deck’s SP Authentic, Ultimate and The Cup, and Panini’s Contenders and Prime, according to Larry.

However, the Smith-Pelly cards were all redemptions in Panini’s products, and only a handful of stamped cards were released in Panini’s Contenders and none in Prime, according to a Panini representative. Additionally, Panini has proactively gotten in touch with customers who have received the stamped cards and intend to replace it with a card of equal or greater value with an additional bonus pack of Rookie Anthology.

Once Upper Deck learned of the issue, representatives contacted Smith-Pelly’s agent and the NHLPA.

“After confirming the cards were not signed by Devante Smith-Pelly, Upper Deck immediately began the process of remaking his signed trading cards for 2011-12 NHL SP Authentic, 2011-12 NHL Ultimate Collection and 2011-12 NHL The Cup,” an Upper Deck official wrote on its blog. ”Devante Smith-Pelly will autograph these remade cards.”

Upper Deck is also throwing in two extra packs for every replacement card.

Collectors who have any of these are directed to contact the customer service departments for the respective card companies.

“This is not something we’re aware of happening in other circumstances,” Larry said. “When the rumor came to service, we looked into it. We will work with Upper Deck and Panini to rectify the situation as best we could.”

Some collectors noticed a difference in his autographs on the stamped versions with different pressure marks, but the amazing consistency on all his on-card autographs. With rumors floating around, the NHLPA took notice and investigated the situation.

Smith-Pelly played in 49 games as a rookie last season for the Ducks. The right winger had seven goals and six assists.

He also served as assistant captain on Team Canada in the 2012 World Junior Championships. Anaheim drafted him in the second round in 2010.

Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Hockey. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor | Commentary

As the deadline for an NHL lockout looms, it seems ever more likely hockey will be at least delayed this year.

The NHL and NHLPA have yet to come to an agreement, and if one is not reached by midnight on Sept. 15, hockey will be in its second lockout in eight years.

When the 2004-05 season was canceled collectors found solace in their cards. This was the easiest way for them to deal with the disappointment of another work stoppage.

However, many currently wonder what will happen to hockey trading cards if there is another lockout.

Card companies did not want comment on the situation because of on going partnerships, but understanding what can happen is as simple as looking at the 2004-05 season.

The biggest hit will be to rookie-cased products such as SP Authentic or Upper Deck Series 1 where the Young Guns Rookie Cards are always a big hit.

Currently, high-end products are keeping collectors busy such as Panini Prime Hockey, Upper Deck’s Ultimate Collection and The Cup. But all three are considered for the 2011-12 season.

The only two hockey products released for 2012-13 are Panini’s Score and Upper Deck’s O-Pee-Chee. These are both solid, inexpensive products with a few exciting rookies that didn’t have cards last season. But they are missing – as will many of the products for the next couple of months – will be the top rookies of this year’s draft such as top draft pick Nail Yakupov.

The most popular rookie in the early 2012-13 products is New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider, which will have to carry the early rookie class if there is a lockout.

If there is a long-term lockout, or even a canceled season, the rookies from this season will likely be included on next season’s cards, which is what happened in 2004-05 (Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin became rookies the same year).

Make no mistake though, a lockout will hurt all hockey products. With no hockey, collectors will likely not buy new product. Many have said they will just fill in gaps in their collections.

If the lockout goes for an extended period of time, card companies will likely hold back any items that have not been developed yet and just wait for next season.

Panini America has a card product scheduled for late October/early November that doesn’t need a hockey season to be successful. Classics Signatures has a heavy focus on retired players such as Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman.

The first product that will be affected by a potential lockout is 2012-13 Artifacts from Upper Deck, which is scheduled to be released in early October. After that, UD doesn’t have any other releases on its calendar listed on its Facebook page.

Panini also doesn’t have hockey products listed on the production calendar but there are plenty of offerings from basketball and football on the way.

It seems the card companies are waiting for news that hockey will be back, just like the fans.

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Hockey magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

As the hockey world awaits for the owners and NHL Players Association to come to an agreement and avoid a lockout, a couple of hundred people have descended in Toronto for the NHLPA Rookie Showcase.

It was a great way for these groups to get their minds off a potential shortened season.

Much like football and basketball, the rookies for the upcoming season get together for the card companies. They take dozens of pictures and sign autograph cards and memorabilia for Upper Deck and Panini America, the companies with both NHL and NHLPA card licenses for 2012-13.

The Rookie Showcase lasts a couple of days and throughout that time UD and Panini will reveal what collectors can expect from upcoming products.

One of the themes in Panini’s pictures from its blog were player-drawn sketch cards. The company did the same with football and had given away the cards at the 2012 National Sports Collectors Convention in redemption packs.

Some of these cards were popular with collectors, especially Andrew Luck’s rendering of Lucas Oil Stadium where the Indianapolis Colts play.

Related post: Luck’s sketch card sells for $1,500

Panini got the hockey players in the mix this time and it sees as though some of them have shown off their art skills.

Phoenix Coyotes’ Mark Visentin drew cards dedicated to Blink 182. This year’s first-round draft pick Nail Yakupov attempted to draw the Edmonton Oilers logo for his sketch, Dallas Stars’ Jamie Oleksiak did a reasonable drawing of a goalie with a gigantic stick and Florida Panthers Quinton Howden took his task seriously by getting the details right by using a photo from his iPhone.

Many will wonder where these cards will show up, but we’re just not sure yet. However, Panini will certainly let collectors know where they can get their hands on them.

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Hockey magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

Every day that passes without an agreement between the NHL owners and the NHL Players Association, it seems hockey is heading closer to a lockout.

Of course, this will effect cards. Specifically, you won’t be able to collect all those rookies you were hoping to see. There’ll be no Nail Yakupov or Ryan Murray on trading cards anytime soon if there is a lockout.

Hockey rules state players can’t be on cards until they appear in an NHL game.

For now, one of the rookies driving early products is New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider. He didn’t appear in a game last season until the playoffs, but he had a terrific start to his career. In 18 playoff games, Kreider had five goals and two assists.

His first Rookie Card came out in 2012 O-Pee-Chee. He also has four other cards in OPC with Rainbow, Black Rainbow and Red parallels. In addition, there is an OPC Retro card of Kreider.

Currently, Kreider has one other RC on the market in 2012 Score with a number of parallels.

Kreider’s first autograph is being offered through Score, but as a redemption. However, there’s a good chance this card could be fulfilled next week at the 2012 NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Toronto, Canada.

Most of the big sports have events like this especially to help card companies get photos of rookies before they play in games. This week, basketball had its rookie photo shoot with the likes of Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal in the house.

(Related post: Photo gallery from the NBA Rookie Shoot)

Next week, hockey kicks off its shoot for Panini America and Upper Deck.

Kreider will be at the event along with 29 others. However, some of their cards are going to have to wait for the end of a potential lockout.

Here’s a full list of the players at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase.
・ Tyson Barrie (Avalanche)
・ Nathan Beaulieu (Canadiens)
・ Beau Bennett (Penguins)
・ Jack Campbell (Stars)
・ Charlie Coyle (Wild)
・ Emerson Etem (Ducks)
・ Alex Galchenyuk (Canadiens)
・ Dougie Hamilton (Bruins)
・ Quinton Howden (Panthers)
・ Tomas Jurco (Red Wings)
・ Jared Knight (Bruins)
・ Leo Komarov (Maple Leafs)
・ Chris Kreider (Rangers)
・ Scott Laughton (Flyers)
・ Joe Morrow (Penguins)
・ Ryan Murphy (Hurricanes)
・ Ryan Murray (Blue Jackets)
・ Brock Nelson (Islanders)
・ Jamie Oleksiak (Stars)
・ Griffin Reinhart (Islanders)
・ Morgan Rielly (Maple Leafs)
・ Justin Schultz (Oilers)
・ Jaden Schwartz (Blues)
・ Reilly Smith (Stars)
・ Ryan Spooner (Bruins)
・ Jarred Tinordi (Canadiens)
・ Tyler Toffoli (Kings)
・ Mark Visentin (Coyotes)
・ Austin Watson (Predators)
・ Nail Yakupov (Oilers).

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Hockey magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Hockey Editor

Eight years ago, the NHL had an unprecedented season – one that didn’t happen.

After the NHL and NHLPA couldn’t come to terms for a new collective bargaining agreement, the NHL had a lockout that resulted in a cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season and the Stanley Cup was not given out for the first time since 1919.

It could happen again.

The two sides are negotiating for a new CBA once again. If a decision isn’t reached by Sept. 15, when the current agreement ends, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there could be another lockout. However, the two sides plan to meet again on Wednesday to discuss the latest offering from the NHL Players Association, according to TSN in Canada.

When the lockout occurred eight years ago, hockey fans were not happy. They are a rabid bunch who follow their sport passionately. Hockey card collectors are no different.

They were disappointed in not having a season, but cards helped.

“If anything, it helped eased the pain of not having an NHL season by allowing me to have some presence of hockey in my life by collecting the cards,” collector Andy Sikorski said.

For others, the lockout made collectors examine their habits. Collector Rich Brassell stopped buying hobby boxes and chasing sets. He turned his collection around to focus on his favorite team, the Carolina Hurricanes.

“I basically took the year off of buying new cards and it gave me the chance to change the way I collected,” Brassell said. “The lockout didn’t do much to deter me from finding cards on eBay through box breakers. Most of the cards were low dollar cards anyway and I had plenty of holes from previous years.”

When hockey finally came back, the 2005-06 proved a popular one for the hobby. It was helped by a loaded rookie class: Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Richards, Zach Parise and Dion Phaneuf.

But will the same happen again if there is another lockout?

Unlike Crosby, who was well-known even before he started playing in the NHL, many of the upcoming rookies don’t have the same popularity.

“The only fear I have with this lockout is that the rookie class this year won’t be able to carry the products through the down time,” collector Steve Uhlmann said. “I have a feeling it will take some time for hockey fans in the U.S. to learn about the new guys for ’12-’13 and until they start playing games, it will be very tough to do so.”

The good news is collectors feel the hobby rebounded well since the last lockout with better designs and products.

“The overall design and quality of the cards is far better than before 2005,” Sikorski said. “I do not feel the lockout had anything to do with it though, the hobby always evolves and a change has been coming down the pipe for awhile now.”

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Hockey magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.