Pair O'Duclair

When Anthony Duclair was drafted in 2013 in the 3rd round by the New York Rangers, they were getting a forward who was a bit on the smallish size but had plenty of speed and potential. In the 14-15 season they gave him a 18 game test drive before sending him back to junior where he tore it up. Then the Rangers saw a chance to land Keith Yandle and that would end up costing them plenty including Mr. Duclair.

2015-16 was an exciting time in the desert as Domi and Duclair showed a great deal of chemistry and Anthony put up a great rookie season which saw him score 20 and add another 24 assists which was exactly what the Yotes were hoping for when they landed him. However, the next two plus seasons have been a disaster and Duclair even spent some time in the AHL. Since that great season, Duclair has played 121 games between the NHL and AHL and has only manged a combined total of 17 goals and 43 points. Truly much left to be desired.

Things got so bad he demanded a trade and he got his wishes. Dealt with Clendening to the Blackhawks in exchange for Panik and Laurent. Interestingly enough, Dauphin Laurent went in the same draft as Duclair, just a round sooner. Since the trade Duclair has played 14 games as has had 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. Not exactly lighting it up but I have watched a few of those games and he has looked great at times. It just seems he is missing that swagger and confidence he had in his rookie season with the Coyotes.

So with the Hawks season all but over, they will be faced with a tough choice. Do they resign Duclair who is an RFA and hasn't shown a great deal of productivity in his limited time with the club or do they ship him off at the deadline or in the off season? There is no way I see him walking at the end of the year and at the very least I can see the Hawks resigning him at his current price of 1.2 million a year and he will get another chance to showcase what he can do and try and parlay that into a good contract once he hits his prime. Duclair is still a kid and won't even turn 23 until the end of the summer so there is lots of time to grow and develop. Time will tell who gives him that chance!

A couple of years ago I bought a couple packs of 14-15 Trilogy and hit a couple Duclairs. 

14-15 Trilogy Trilogy Anthony Duclair Rookie Premieres Level 1 Green /199

Loves me the Rookie Premieres! Not sure if its the foil board or just the affordability on the secondary market but either way I felt hitting this was a win. 

 14-15 Upper Deck Trilogy Anthony Duclair Rookie Premieres Auto Level 2 Blue /225

This one I hit as a redemption. I must say when it arrived I felt there was much left to be desired in that signature! Still in the end it was a fun hit because I already had it's non-auto match and they pair sit pretty well together in the collection.

Duclair has loads of potential and I think in time we might see that potential come back to the surface and someone will have a great second line winger. He tore it up at the 2015 WJHC scoring 4 goals, 8 points in 7 games while helping lead Canada to gold so he will always have me in his corner. I just hope that he's able to do it before the NHL clubs give up on him and he will be over seas finding his game a little too late like Linden Vey or Nigel Dawes.

14-15 Upper Deck Trilogy Johnny Gaudreau Level 2 Radiant Blue Rookie Auto /225

Last week there were a number of stars that went down with serious injuries. I am not going to cry about the accidental ones because "shift" happens in the NHL and as long as players are going down due to hockey plays and not strange Ricky Henderson-esc stupidity then I can live with that. However, one of the injuries was preventable and I was pretty disappointed when I heard/saw the results of the Wild/Flames game. 21 slashes was the total count apparently and none drew a penalty and in the end Johnny Hockey will be Johnny Armchair for the next several weeks. I have played enough hockey and watched well over a thousand games to know that "taps" are apart of the game. But when you watch that one, it wasn't just random taps, there were players clearly targeting his hands and that is where I draw the line and am disappointed that nothing more was done. Heck, they care more about diving and crap like that which leads to a talented player having his hand/fingers (which is how he plays his game) broken. Truly sad in a time where the league has said in the last decade that they wanted to clamp down on dangerous plays etc.

You want to increase scoring NHL? How about call a few more penalties which will lead to power plays when this stuff happens and keep players like Johnny Hockey in the game and not on the IR.
Rant over, now time for cardboard!

14-15 Upper Deck Trilogy Johnny Gaudreau Level 2 Radiant Blue Rookie Auto /225

Over the past few season I have really enjoyed the Trilogy rookies and this is another example of a great looking card. This is a beauty in person and when the like strikes the foilboard background it is a rainbow of delights! Nice limited print run too with a legible sticker auto.

Here is the backside of the card. I again appreciate Upper Deck including stats and vitals on the backs of these cards. I don't believe the large congratulations is necessary and more could be done back here but in all still a great piece of eye candy that I enjoy as part of my collection. 

Thanks for enduring the rant and stopping by. What are your thoughts on all the players going down? Has your team been affected yet?

A 6 pack of Severson

Well, Albany won their first game of the second round against the Marlies which was a huge road win. While Damon didn't factor in on the score sheet, he does have 5 points in 5 AHL games this post season and I am looking forward to an epic series. 

Last summer while searching for my neighbour I found a lot deal on Damon Severson cards (all rookies). There were seven in all and here are six of them. The 7th needs its own post in my opinion so I will save it for another day!

14-15 UD Trilogy Damon Severson Level 1 Rookie /799

Here's the base of the base rookies. Even big names guys from this set can be had affordably for those who don't mind no auto'd rookies.

14-15 UD Trilogy Damon Severson Level 1  Blue Rookie /499

The blue parallel of the card above. Colour and numbering are the only differences, same photo is used between the two.

14-15 SP Authentic 94-95 Retro Premier Prospects Damon Severson

This is the non-die cut, non-autograph version. Despite that, still a nice card in person!

14-15 Artifacts Damon Severson Rookie /699

Here is a redeemed Severson Artifacts Rookie. It arrived already redeemed. I enjoy not having to wait for redemptions.

14-15 SP Authentic Future Watch Damon Severson Auto RC /999

I never got terribly excited over Future Watch rookies and my guess is because I missed the time when they first came out and they are in a price point that usually means I can't afford a box or don't feel the risk is worth the reward. Never the less, I love me my auto rookies and this is a good one to add.

14-15 UD Black Damon Severson Rookie /199

For a card without gimmicks, this one is pretty nice. A little thicker than your standard issue card and a pretty fantastic print run of just /199. This card wasn't my reason for buying the lot, but I assure you it added to my enjoyment of the lot purchase.

So a cool six pack for you all to look at, there was one more in the lot deal that I will share in a future post as well as a number of other Seversons! In the meantime, go Devils and thanks for reading!

2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy Green Level 2 Leon Draisaitl Auto Rookie /99

Ok, the parallels and this title are a little bit much I know. But, it is partially that reason why many of these Trilogy rookies have found their way into my home because they are affordable. Leon might be the best kept secret because ever since McDavid went down, he has come up and put up some pretty impressive numbers. As of today, Leon is 4th in the NHL when it comes to points per game and if he plays the full season at this pace he will have 29 goals, 59 assists and 88 points which is pretty impressive for the second year player.

I have had a chance to watch him play a few games this season and I am very impressed with all aspects of the game and his size was one thing that really stood out to me and how well he plays with the puck. His play definitely gives Edmonton some options about moving some of their other star players (particularly a forward), to hopefully add a quality defenseman to help out the back end. 


2014-15 Upper Deck Trilogy Green Level 2 Leon Draisaitl Auto Rookie /99

Like the rest of the Trilogy rookies, this is on a foil board with a sticker auto. The green isn't the nicest of colours but the /99 definitely makes it much more tolerable. I just wish the more rare the card the better the colour choices. His auto isn't very exciting but I do appreciate seeing his number with the signature. Pleased to add this to my collection and I hope Leon keeps developing into the superstar I think he could become.

14-15 Trilogy Jonathan Drouin Rookie Premiere Blue Auto /225

Oh once upon a time I used to be such a consistent blogger. I have seem many of the great ones come and go and some even come back again. I really really hope that I don't go that way but at the same time life is just one of those things that will take what it wants from you and if time is short then you are left piecing what you have together. With the being said, I still am in the hobby and I am still getting from time to time but the sharing seems to have been the hardest part over the last 6 months. I realized that often I am a little too ambitious and that is getting in the way of production. I am thinking maybe trying to make them short and sweet will not only help me but also just keep me relevant in the wonderful world of sports card blogging.

So as Prince once said. "No I ain't dead yet but, uh, how about you?" here is what will hopefully be a rejuvenation!



14-15 Trilogy Jonathan Drouin Rookie Premiere Blue Auto /225

This card is one I have wanted before the season started. Ok, maybe not this particular card but I told myself no boxes or blasters will be purchased until I had a Drouin auto rookie and this one definitely fit the bill better than I could have hoped. These cards are beautiful and my 4 year old walking by stopped in his tracks and asked to see it. He loved the colours this thing has and it nearly is his favourite card. His actual favourite is the 91-92 Pro Set 75th Anniversary Hologram.

As some of you know, I am a bit of a Lightning fan thanks to Brett Connolly and even though he is gone I will still be cheering for them out of the East and Chicago out of the West. Here is hoping I have someone left at dance come June!

Thanks for your patience fellow collectors and readers. I am hoping (no promises) to get back on the proverbial horse! In the meantime, here is some more Prince!