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.

I've Got Wood!

I am not sure if I will never stop laughing at such a stupid and childish phrase but I guess the day I do is the day I am no longer young at heart. Miles Wood is a player who I got very excited over during the pre-season and felt the future is very bright in NJ. While many of our kids were eventually sent back to junior and the AHL, Miles was able to get back with the big club part way through the year and what he had to show fans each and every night was just awesome.

Miles will probably never score 40 goals and he will never win an Art Ross but that isn't what we need from him. What Miles does do is skates like the wind, plays with an edge and can contribute one way or another each and every night. I feel he's got 20-30-50 potential and is very exciting to watch. He is everywhere when he's on the ice and isn't afraid to do what is needed to help the team win. I have seen enough from him this season to make me a fan and I've started a PC of his stuff too.

16-17 UD Ice Premieres Miles Wood Auto /299

This one is from the Upper Deck Ice set. All cards are acetate which makes them a little pricey to produce so you may not get the best bang for your buck in terms of quantity of hits but you certainly get loads in quality and these cards typically have strong value when compared to other brands in Upper Deck's stable. I definitely am going to try and gobble up some Devils The Cup rookies this fall and I assure you I will be trying to track down a Wood rookie no matter what!

Dollar Bin Signatures

Sometimes you go to a dollar bin and see the same cards you already have in your collection 10 times over (Mark Recchi 90-91 UD Rookies) and sometimes you find something that makes you go...."Hey!". I had such moment finding these:

89-90 OPC Brian Bradley Auto Rookie

This is not a buyback rookie but likely an autograph that someone got in person. Not having any comparables or anything like that I bought this card on blind faith. Seriously, who'd forge Brian Bradley's signature.

Here is a legit one I found online as a comparison

Apart from a sloppy thick sharpie on my signature is all seems legit. Brian wore 19 during his prime years so I am guessing that is why he signed this one with a 19 instead of 10. Also dates my autograph in the post 1993 range. 

Brian Bradley was a fun pick up because I remember him as Mr. Expansion draft and he had a monster year with the Lightning scoring over 40 goals in a season.

90-91 Bowman Wendell Young Auto Rookie

Here is another fun auto for a dollar. In fact, I got two of him. There was also an OPC rookie as well which I grabbed but only bothered scanning the one card. I didn't doubt this one for a second because Wendell was from Halifax and this autograph could have been easily obtained by a collector in my province who bumped into Wendell Young. Neat fact I learned while researching this post is Wendell Young is the only person who has rings from the following championships: CHL, AHL, IHL and NHL. Certainly a very fun trivia question to ask someone!

Anyway, two fun players who both had some successes and at a cost that was totally worth the risk. I don't believe I could even buy two stamps and get these via TTM for that price. Have you ever taken a chance on an autograph that wasn't certified? Anyway, thanks again for stopping by and happy collecting!

Happy Trails Patrik!

They say you don't know what you have until you lose it. Long story short we as people can often be guilty of taking things you have for granted and I certainly have been a repeat offender in that department. However, this post isn't really about me, it's about Patrik Elias. It's hard to find a player who has silently put together such an amazing career playing for a defense first team but still putting up All-World Numbers. Many might be skeptical but don't worry, I will share some supporting figures.

First off, his raw numbers are pretty decent:
1240 Games 408 Goals 617 Assists 1025 Points and another 125 Playoff Points all are franchise highs for the Devils with the exception of games played. Patrik played in 4 All-Star games, made the All-Rookie Team and one First All-Star Team and he won 2 Stanley Cups.

If you look at all those raw numbers I think ANYONE would induct him into the Hall of Pretty Good. However, there are many players out of the Hall of Fame with better numbers and stats. So here is where we consider the fact that Patrik Elias did play a majority of his career in the dead puck era and those numbers are much more amazing than they appear. If you take a visit to Hockey Reference you will find many of the facts I am about to point out.

408 Goals actually adjusts to 464 Goals when you consider overall scoring. That total puts him in the same group as Bure (463) Bossy (461) and Hawerchuk (435) and to be honest, Patrik wasn't known as a goal scorer.

617 Assists adjusts to 680 Assists. That change has him in line with stars like Guy Lafleur (681) and Peter Stastny (637).

1025 Points adjusts to 1144 Points. This is the most telling stat in my opinion when you combine his goals and assists you get a true sense of his place and standing. This total is 57th best All-Time and has him around players like Crosby, Gartner, Perreault and Henri Richard.

In addition to putting up offensive numbers he was really valuable to the club in all situations and would kill penalties and back check with the best of them. When you consider the player as a whole I believe he will make it to the Hall of Fame. Probably not on the first ballot but I do honestly believe he has a shot. Now time for the cards!

97-98 Upper Deck Ice Patrik Elias Rookie

97-98 Donruss Priority Patrik Elias Rookie

97-98 Upper Deck Star Rookie Patrik Elias Rookie

97-98 SP Authentic Future Watch Patrik Elias Rookie

97-98 Pinnacle Be A Player Patrik Elias Rookie

97-98 Pinnacle Be A Player Patrik Elias Auto Rookie

00-01 Be A Player Signature Series Gold Patrik Elias Auto

12-13 Fleer Skybox Autographics Patrik Elias

06-07 Be A Player Signature Duals Elias and Rafalski

These are a few Elias cards from my collection including some of my favourite rookies and all my autographs of Elias. I do have a few game used cards as well but nothing that I felt would have added to this post so I decided to leave them out. While Elias was never a PC of mine per-say, I have collect a few cards of him over the years and I will continue to enjoy what I have and maybe add a few more in the future as I continue to appreciate all he has done for the franchise. Happy Trails Patrik and thank you very much for all you've done and I wish you health and happiness in your retirement. 

13-14 Select Justin Schultz Auto Rookie /199

As little as a year ago, Oilers fans were dumped hardcore on one of the most sought after college free agents from 2012. It turns out he just needed a new focus and a new scene and this season he has had a resurgence in his career and is on track to have his best season ever. True it doesn't hurt to have the forward crew that he has to work with and you or I could rack up a few points being Crosby's D-man but only 52 games into this season, he has at a career high for points already and will likely eclipse his goal high of 11 before the season closes too. The best stat though is his +/- which leads the team at a +29 and is good enough for 5th in the NHL as of Feb 9. While a Norris might be a stretch for Justin given his competition (Brent Burns), this is turning into a great story and one I hope continues to be successful for Justin Schultz.

13-14 Select Justin Schultz Auto Rookie /199

I'm both a fan of Justin Schultz and the 13-14 Select set so you get the best of both worlds with this card. A nice jersey swatch and autograph. I do have a couple more Schulz auto but I will save those for another day. Thanks for stopping by!

11-12 Crown Royale Mark Scheifele Auto Rookie

Some players are just like fine wine and get better with age. Of course when you are a first round draft choice and more particularly one picked in the top 10 sometimes teams and fans can get a little impatient with a player's development. Mark Scheifele is a player who seems to have always played ABOVE expectations and when it came time for the Jets to make their first selection in the 2011 draft, they surprised many by selecting Mark 7th overall. Going into the draft TSN had him ranked 12th below players like Sean Couturier and Dougie Hamilton. However, the Dale Hawerchuk connection I believe helped turn the Jets into believers in this former 7th round OHL draft pick.

In year 1 Mark Scheifele played in 7 games and scored just a single goal before being sent back to junior. Fans were understanding of the move for the most part and were warned he would take some time to develop. The following year the Jets decided that junior was still the best place for him and he tore up the junior rankings including a 41 point performance in just 21 playoff games. After that season, Mark found a home with the Jets where he managed to score 13 goals and 34 points as a rookie and then followed it up with 15 goals and 49 point during the 14-15 season. Last year was Scheifele's break out year and the league began to notice his offensive skills as he scored 29 goals and 61 points which was good enough for second on the team in points and first on the team in goals.

In what is now Mark Scheifele's 4th full NHL season, he seems to be pushing his game to the next level and is currently 3rd in NHL scoring with 23 points and is 5th in the NHL in goals with 11. While it is still early in the season and cold streaks will come, he is currently on pace to finish the year with 41 goals and 86 points which would make the Winnipeg Jets geniuses for drafting him 7th in 2011 because I am sure there are a few teams which picked BEFORE the Jets who might like a mulligan and a chance to pick him this time (I'm looking at you Ottawa and New York) could you imagine Mark Scheifele playing with John Tavares? I am willing to be JT would move to the wing to have MS at centre.


11-12 Crown Royale Mark Scheifele Auto Rookie

 While I have never really loved the die cut cards you get with Crown Royale, but I do love the on card autographs you do get with them. While this card isn't serial numbered it is still a pretty nice rookie of a future NHL superstar.

Here is the backside of the card. As you can see, Mark isn't a small lad and has time has gone by he has grown into that 6' 3" frame and now clocks in at 207 lbs which probably makes him much more difficult to stop now.

I have enjoyed the scoring race greatly so far this season at the 25% mark and can't wait to see how Crosby closes the gap and how some of the new comers to the top of the list fare as time goes by. Happy belated Thanksgiving to my fellow American readers and see you on the next post!

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?

11-12 Panini Rookie Anthology Cam Talbot Auto Rookie /499

As much as I love buying single cards with a purpose or strategy sometimes it is nice to just break a box and see what lady luck has in store for you. A couple years ago, I bought two boxes of Rookie Anthology and did pretty well. One card I hit wasn't terribly exciting at the time but I always liked the look of the card.


11-12 Panini Rookie Anthology Cam Talbot Auto Rookie /499

Perhaps it's all the blue on this card that I was drawn to or just the nice design, either way I could never bring myself to want to trade it to a Rangers fan (had chances to do so). After I pulled this card and thought to myself, 'hey this is a decent looking card', I went onto Hockeydb to see who he even was and if there was potential for awesomeness in him. What I saw was pretty lackluster. Still I learned that we shared the same birthday so I figured what the heck let's put this in the collection.

Less than 2 years later Cam was proving himself a very capable backup for the Rangers going 12-6-1 with a 1.64 g.a.a and an amazing 0.941 save percentage. He would follow it up with another great season winning 21 games and that success had the Oilers believing in him and they made a trade with the Rangers to acquire him. Fast forward to this year and the Oilers are thankful for that deal because the 29 year old goaltender from Caledonia, ON is off to a 8-3-1 start with the Oilers and they could find themselves in the playoffs before this season is over.

I love how collecting can sometimes have you rooting for the oddest players for the oddest reasons and for me it was all because I liked the look of this card and we happened to share the same birthday! Have any of you had sometime similar happen? Thanks for stopping by!

15-16 UD Exquisite Mikko Rantanen Auto RC /249

UD Exquisite is one of those value added insert sets that UD puts into their high end product much like they would do on occasion with UD Ice etc. They are a very nice card and when I saw a few out on the market I decided I might try my luck and see if I could find one. At the same time, I was reading lots of press about the potential Mikko Rantanen possessed and given the Avalanche are on the rise once again I could see his and the team's success tied together. In the end I was able to mix those two together and I ended up with this:

15-16 UD Exquisite Mikko Rantanen Auto RC /249

A great looking card with on-card auto and "Artifacts-esc" design. I've always like what UD did with their Artifacts product so going for this card seemed very natural with my collecting habits. His signature isn't the worst out there but apart from an "M" and a 96 the rest is up to the imagination.

Here's the back side of the card. Much like their The Cup cards, I see a good mix of stats and congratulations which is always appreciated by this collector. As you can see, Mikko is a large lad and I believe with him the saying "You can teach a player to skate and shoot but you can't teach a player to be taller" definitely applies to his potential. I think the sky's the limit and he could be as good as he is willing to work.

As time goes by, I can definitely see Mikko developing into a first line player and a 70-80 point producer. In recent days he has been called up and is practicing on a line with Nathan MacKinnon after injuring his ankle in the preseason and playing 4 games in the AHL.  Last season he lead the Rampage in scoring with 60 points despite only playing 52 of 76 games and finished 9th in league scoring. As we all know, AHL success doesn't always mean NHL success but I'm hopeful and am wishing Mikko the best of luck this season. Thanks for stopping by!

09-10 SPx Brad Marchand Auto Rookie /799

With the win yesterday, Team Canada is on to the finals and if you told me this time last year Brad Marchand would be on the team I would have had two thoughts. Really? and Good for him! After this past season and the World Championships I would have been disappointed if he had been left off the roster because as much as I'd love to see the best pure offensive players Team Canada has to offer, we still need to work both ends of the ice and kill penalties. So far this tournament Brad Marchand has been excellent and completely deserving of his spot on the team and on the line with Bergereon and Crosby.

09-10 SPx Brad Marchand Auto Rookie /799

09-10 was the last season before Upper Deck would have a joint license with Panini so if you're an Upper Deck fan, there were plenty of options for Marchand rookies. I already had a couple before getting this one, most notably was my Young Gun. I used to have a Marchand auto as well but I traded that away for some HOF autos so I was hopeful that I would eventually land another and this was the one that came my way as a replacement.

Brad definitely has one of the more interesting autos out there with his number 63 the only legible aspect on this particular auto. Other times you can see Brad but his last name in my experience is more difficult to decipher.

As far as Marchand goes, I have been a fan of him to some degree since his junior days. I remember seeing him play for the Mooseheads and I would see him do things on the ice no other players would (with the puck) and of course he is still known for doing this other players wouldn't (without the puck). Seeing him have this success is nice being a Nova Scotian and I wish him the best of luck for the rest of this tournament and the rest of his career. He's truly a player in the mould of Claude Lemieux or Esa Tikkanen and when it comes to building a winning team, sometimes you need one or two of these guys. Thanks for stopping by!

We Got Taylor Hall???

Hey all, I am sure you were expecting a post on this much much sooner but alas I was away out of town and the last post or two was scheduled and as a result this is the first chance I have had to post about the craziest 23 minutes in NHL history. I will focus on each aspect one at a time and I will start with the biggest impact to me personally....Taylor Hall!!

I don't think we fleeced the Oilers as much as some suggest, having seen Adam Larsson for the past few years and knowing his projection it is safe to say he will have a good and long NHL career and in Edmonton will finally get a chance to flash his offensive abilities. The Oilers also freed up some cap-space and they used that to sign Lucic and they have a free spot in the roster for Puljujarvi to grow and develop. I am sure everything is thinking why not Eberle or RNH? Well I am sure the Oilers would have preferred that in terms of talent but I am guessing there is also a chemistry aspect perhaps or Ray Shero had no interest in anyone other than Hall and finally got his man. In the end the Oilers will be a tiny bit better and maybe will get over the hump and in the meanwhile the Devils improve substantially and I am very very excited for this upcoming season (Oh boy, I'm starting to sound like a Leafs fan).


10-11 Certified Taylor Hall Auto Jersey Rookie /599

 I haven't shown this card off before and now is the perfect time. Love the set, love the actual game used swatch and Taylor will make a big difference for us this season. He played with Adam Henrique in junior and I am hopeful some chemistry still exists there when Adam scored 20 goals in 19 playoff games with Hall.

For those of you who have been long time readers might recognize these two cards that I still own and appreciate a tiny bit more after June 30th's trade.

10-11 Donruss Taylor Hall Rated Rookie - Toronto Expo /250

10-11 Donruss National Rated Rookies Taylor Hall /25

So what am I expecting as a Devils fan. Progress, if we can keep Cammy healthy and our forwards like Boucher and Blandisi continue developing I am thinking we can seriously contend for a wild card spot this year and break our playoff drought. As far as Taylor Hall goes, I am predicting 35 goals and 75 points for him...lofty but not unrealistic expectations for a player who has career highs of 27 goals and 80 points and is about to hit his prime years!

If I Were An NHLer I'd Be....

Nick Backstrom (not the goalie). Why Nick Backstrom I am sure a few people are wondering and perhaps the rest will just skip down to my new Backstrom cards and I'm cool with that...go ahead.




Still here? Ok, of all the NHL players, the one with the most skill and flies the most under the radar in my opinion is Nick Backstrom and I believe that is what I'd likely be like if I had his skill and position in the league. Apart from a small allergy medication mistake, he has been a model player and perfect teammate. He lets Ovechkin take all the attention and he quietly performs at a high level away from the spotlight. Of all the current active players, Backstrom ranks second in career assists per game (0.73) and 7th in points per game (0.98). Sure having Ovechkin helps one's stats but I am a firm believer Ovechkin equally benefits from their relationship and on a couple of occasions they finished within a handful of points of one another in scoring. With that all being said, Backstrom isn't a floater and knows how to compete and both ends of the ice and sadly isn't recognized for all that he does which only adds to my personal appreciation. Neat fact, for 6 of his 9 NHL seasons, he has appeared on some ballots for the Selke award. His best finish was 10th in 2009-10, perhaps like Nick Lidstrom the recognition will come later in his career when writers see him for who he truly is, an outstanding NHL Centerman.


07-08 OPC Premier Nicklas Backstrom Auto Rookie /299

Here is a nice 4 swatch piece of player worn jersey with an on card auto. Much like the Patrick Kane I shared earlier it is a pretty nice card if you ask me. One thing I always wished I could have done is picked up a pack of OPC Premier but sadly the price point was hard to justify. The good news is many of the big names (and there are many) can be had for fantastic prices for collectors who are willing to wait. If memory serves me right I landed this for the price of a blaster shipped which was a steal for a fan like myself.

Here's the backside which has the larger photo of Nick. Again stats or vitals would have been nice but I have his Young Gun if I want that info I guess...or the internet.

So question for those who are interested in playing, what NHL'er do you feel represent the player you would be or do you feel embodies how you'd play the game?

Want more Backstrom, here was my post on his Sweet Shot rookie from a while back.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2015-16 Art Ross, Hart and Ted Lindsay Award Winner...Patrick Kane

After so many seasons of having hot starts to only cool off or to have an injury limit Patrick Kane's season totals, he finally wins the Art Ross many projected he would win some day. Who would have thought all it took was a slow developing Russian winger to finally give him the offensive support to be able to go wire to wire. While Kane has steadily developed year after year, I believe he owes a great deal of thanks to Artemi Panarin who helped Kane reach the next level in terms of offense and in turn made Panarin the Calder winner and potentially a star for years to come.

Kane's offensive output this season has really pushed his cardboard prices up and thankfully I was able to land this one a while back before the spike in values happened. 

07-08 OPC Premier Patrick Kane Auto Rookie /299

Two sets I really love and are underappreciated in the 07-08 year are OPC Premier and UD Sweet Shot. This rookie has 4 swatches, on card auto and a respectable print run of 299 copies. All three are winners in my opinion and the book price isn't much different than his much beloved Young Gun.

Here's the backside for those who like that type of thing. I love the photo on the back is a larger and less cropped photo from the front but I dislike the lack of Patrick Kane info.

So what does Mr. Kane do this summer to prepare for next season? Hopefully he stays out of trouble and just trains and rests. What does Mr. Kane do for an encore next season? That is anyone's guess but given the chemistry him and the Breadman have I wouldn't be surprised if its a 4 way race for the Art Ross next season between Kane, Benn, Crosby and McDavid.

11-12 Rookie Anthology Devante Smith-Pelly Auto Rookie /499

I have mentioned this before but it is worth saying again, I love it when you pick up cards that seem rather irrelevant at the time and they suddenly become much more important thanks to a pick up in the player's play or a trade. IN this particular case, both are true. About a year or two ago I picked up this card because I thought the increased playing time in Montreal could make him a star. Sadly, that experiment didn't go so well and he was dealt to NJ where the increased playing time there seemed to bring out the best in DSP.

DSP got himself in a little hot water during his rookie year when it turned out many of his autographs were done with an autopen. Thankfully this isn't one such card so I do have a legit auto in my collection and after the 18 game tear he did in NJ, his signature should be worth a little more because he is a pending RFA so if the Devils are hoping to keep him I am guessing he will command upwards of 2 million per year on his next contract.

In his 18 games with the Devils he played a lot on the first line where he scored 8 goals and 13 points which I know it's a stretch to extrapolate that over an 82 game season but let's pretend anyway. If he could keep that pace over a full season that could mean 36 goals and close to 60 points. Now let's come back to Earth on our projections and if the Devils resign him and he can work the same magic, I don't think a 25 goal and 45-50 point season is unreasonable making him and this card a great pick up at a low price (Stefan Matteau and 4 bucks respectively)

10-11 Certified Red Pernell Karl Subban Auto Rookie /250

About 5 years ago I wrote Pernell asking for an autograph. Sadly he didn't feel I was worth the time or effort so I am not going to pump up his tires here either.

10-11 Certified Red Pernell Karl Subban Auto Rookie /250

I may have lost the card and time I put into my TTM request, but in the end I got my auto regardless thanks to the internet and despite my bad TTM experience, I still like this card because its a pretty cool modern design.

11-12 Crown Royale Ryan Ellis Rookie Silhouettes Auto /99

The second one I grabbed with my money from the aforementioned sale was another Crown Royale auto rookie of a defenseman but this time it's one of my PC guys, Ryan Ellis. 


11-12 Crown Royale Ryan Ellis Rookie Silhouettes Auto /99

 

Here is another example of Crown Royale's Rookie Silhouettes and I think it's a beauty. What had happened was I wanted to use the money to help my PC of Ryan Ellis and when I saw this card I wondered if the seller had any other cool cards and the Gudbranson was an addition to my order. In the end I was super pleased with both cards and the Ellis is by far the centerpiece of the order. 

For those who are wondering, Ryan Ellis has made some excellent strides this past season hitting career highs in goals (10), assists, (22) and points (32). It is this consistency that in some ways made Seth Jones expendable and helped bring in some much needed scoring up front and Nashville looks to be a serious contender this post-season!

11-12 Crown Royale Erik Gudbranson Rookie Silhouettes Auto /99

Last summer I helped my neighbour out by selling a couple cards from my collection to him so he could give the cards as gifts to his nephews. One of those cards was able to net me two Rookie Silhouettes and this is the first of those two.

11-12 Crown Royale Erik Gudbranson Rookie Silhouettes Auto /99

While I never bought a box or a pack of this stuff, I do enjoy the Rookie Silhouettes a great deal and have a few in my collection now. The swatch is a nice 3 colour jersey piece that really pops out and the autograph is large and very visible. Erik was a member of the 2011 Canadian U20 team and helped them to a silver medal. Erik was a 3rd overall pick in the 2010 draft and really have developed into a spectacular shutdown defenseman for the Panthers who logs over 20 min a game on the blueline. He isn't going to wow with offensive numbers but he does help out on occasion and as he grows and matures I could see him chipping in a bit more as his career progresses. This is my first Gudbranson auto rookie and was on my to-do list for a while. I was able to add another blueliner with my proceeds from the card sale and I will share that in a future post.

97-98 BAP Joe Thornton Auto "Rookie"

So with the playoff now underway and nearly all teams have played at least one game, my sentimental favourite to win the Cup is Joe Thornton. Don't get my wrong there are a few other teams I would like to see win the Stanley Cup over the Sharks (namely Chicago (my second team), Panthers (I enjoy their rise to success), Nashville (Ryan Ellis) ) but Joe has always been there in the NHL working hard and has done much of it with a level of class and professionalism (if you don't mind forgetting about Hertl's four goal game).

One project that has really hit the backburner is my attempt at all 250 cards in the 97-98 BAP autograph set. At the moment I am about half way there with a few of the big names missing and in the last year I was able to cross one off and with the Sharks winning last night I felt it was a good time to share this one.

97-98 BAP Joe Thornton Auto

I use the term "rookie" in quotes because while this card is from his rookie season, during the 90's it was very common for companies to try and poach rookies before they were rookies in the NHL. The most classic case is Eric Lindros but many others were poached by Upper Deck thanks to their license with Team Canada.

This is my second Thornton auto, my first is on coaster of his Junior B team thanks to an ex-girlfriend who was a high school buddy of Joe's. I like this card a great deal because it has his old number 6 on it and it helps me get one step closer to completely my set.

For those of you who's teams are no longer in contention, do you have any back up teams or sentimental favourites for this post-season?

13-14 Totally Certified Boone Jenner Auto Jersey Rookie

13-14 brought it's fair share of rookies and rookie cards. Being the final year of the dual license and dual rookie class meant rookies galore for collectors. Boone Jenner is one rookie a few years ago that some collectors might have had on their radar but probably for the most part were caught up in plenty of others to pay him much attention.

I have known about Boone ever since his OHL days thanks to a few hits from ITG Heroes and Prospects and as a result have had a bit of a soft spot for this power forward. This past season has been a spectacular one for him personally and even The Hockey News has given him some praise on his season to remember.  With 2 games to go, Boone has 30 goals and 48 points and I believe this is just the beginning of many 30 goals seasons for the 22 year old sniper. Here is one of two auto rookies I picked up in the last year and a bit.

13-14 Totally Certified Boone Jenner Auto Jersey Rookie

This is one of the few times I really appreciate a nice white swatch. It almost pops out of the card. The design of the card isn't too hard on the eyes and apart from the card not being numbered there really isn't much to complain about it. 


 This season of Boone's has brought additional joy to an old hit of his that I am going to share once again!
11-12 ITG Heroes and Prospects Boone Jenner Game Used Number Black /6

Congrats on the great season Boone. I am looking forward to seeing how your career progresses and perhaps you can help bring Columbus the success that has so far alluded it as a franchise.

09-10 OPC Premier John Taveres Auto RC /299

John Tavares has been a class act in my opinion from the moment the spotlight was thrown on him as a 15 year old. He ripped apart the junior ranks setting national records and even beat a Gretzky record in the process for goals by a 16 year old. However, this past season has been a tough one for him and with all the attention Crosby has received few have noticed that John hasn't been filling the net much this year after just missing out on an Art Ross trophy last year.

Currently he's on pace for 60 points which would represent his lowest point output for a full season since his rookie year. John does have 4 points in his last 4 games and 10 in his last 12 so he could be gearing up for a strong second half. I personally hope that this is true.

I am fortunate enough to already have a rookie or two of John's and his auto but one card I always really wanted was his OPC Premier rookie (even more so than his young gun). Not sure what the draw is exactly, but I do love the design from that season for OPC Premier, and having a relatively low print run with swatches and signatures is always a nice plus in my books.


09-10 OPC Premier John Taveres Auto RC /299

This is a pretty solid specimen. Gold signature, all Islanders colours are represented with a couple two colour pieces and its numbered 232/299. I think it's pretty funny how I am drawn to certain cards more than others especially when I am sure there are many more valuable and desirable ones out there. However for me, I would gladly take this card over his SPx rookie etc any day!

Thanks for stopping by, next post is going to be a sets of yesteryear as its been a while since I have done one of those.