Hobby Musings: Upper Deck Reveals 2016-17 Hockey Plans – The 2016-17 NHL season is already many weeks old, but it has been full of excitement. With a rookie class led by Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine that is giving the stacked 2015-16 class a run for its many, collectors have had plenty to be excited about. There to respond to that excitement and demand is Upper Deck.

Holding the exclusive trading card license for the NHL, I had the chance to catch up with the company’s Sports & Social Media Marketing Manager, Chris Carlin to find out more about what UD has planned for the hockey season from a trading card standpoint. The following interview was conducted via email.

KS: Last year’s NHL trading card season was marked by a strong rookie class, including Connor McDavid. Who are some of the top rookies collectors should be looking out for this season?

CC: There are two huge players fans are going crazy for so far in Auston Matthews, who broke a, NHL record by scoring four goals in his first game and Patrik Laine, who has two hat tricks on the year so far. Both players are on teams where fans have been STARVING for a rookie to collect for some time.

What makes it interesting is they are not alone on their teams with regard to rookie content. The Leafs are probably the richest in rookie content this year with other top “Young Guns” like Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman and Brandon Leipsic. For Winnipeg there are also a couple solid young players in Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey in particular.

It’s not just about those two franchises though. Matthew Tkachuk is the son of a former NHL player and seems like he will be a great fit in Calgary. Anthony Mantha is a big bruiser in Detroit who should help the Red Wings return to greatness. Pavel Zacha has a lot of talent in New Jersey. Sonny Milano, Jesse Puljujarvi and Jimmy Vessey are also rookies this season that collectors should keep their eyes on.

KS: If you had to pick one rookie out of last year’s class, which one do you think has the best chance at having a great sophomore performance with their trading cards?

CC: Connor McDavid is already there. He’s the youngest captain in NHL history and his performance this season has been top notch.

KS: What about veteran players? Who do you think could have a breakout season with their trading cards?

CC: It appears it is Carey Price. Quite frankly he looks unstoppable. A fun fact about him is that he actually collects his own cards. I think we will see a spike in his values this season which should have collectors, as well as Carey, all smiles.

KS: As far as Upper Deck hockey releases go this season, what are some of the highlights collectors should be looking out for?

CC: Collectors were going crazy for Upper Deck Series One at the Fall Expo and different than last year, I think it’s important for collectors to understand that our distributors and shops came in very light on pre-orders as opposed to last year, which means there will be a lot less of 2016-17 NHL trading card product in the market than last year. I think shops and collectors all knew this class would be pretty good, but nobody could have imagined the things they are doing, especially Matthews and Laine. They are legitimate stars.

KS: Do you have any plans for new releases/cards in your hockey stable for the coming season?

CC: A few brands are going to go on the shelf this season (not being produced) like Champ’s, Portfolio and Contours. We did recently announce we will be coming out with a Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial set recently and Parkhurst will hit retail shelves this holiday season as a standalone product in Canada.

KS: Upper Deck has been very heavily involved with trying to get younger collectors involved in the hobby, even releasing beginner’s kits to help make the introduction. What else are you looking to do to try and drive young collector involvement in the hobby?

CC: A lot of it comes from getting out there and engaging them directly at our events with the NHL and in the hobby. Coaching them on the fun of the hobby really helps drive engagement and interest. We are looking to do more with younger teams as well and at local hockey rinks throughout Canada. More will be shared on that soon.

KS: You recently did your Tim Horton’s promotion again. It seems to be well-received with our neighbors up north. Any chance you could see doing a similar promotion with a food chain in the United States?

CC: Tim Horton’s is the exclusive express food sponsor for the NHL in Canada, McDonald’s is the exclusive express food sponsor for the NHL in the USA. So unless that changes, Tim’s cannot run that promotion in the USA. Sadly McDonald’s walked away for the program several years ago.

KS: Speaking of promotions, you also work with GTS for the Overtime Packs promotion. Can you please explain the success of the collaborative effort between Upper Deck and GTS to create the promotion?

CC: The program continues to be a fun one for collectors! New this season are instant-win cards for actual boxes of trading cards, which is awesome. Savvy collectors know to look for these packs at their local card shops.

KS: Looking ahead a little bit, one of the things hockey collectors look forward to each year is National Hockey Card Day. Any chance you can share some early details about it?

CC: Yes, it will be on Saturday, February 18, 2017 in the USA and Canada. The program will run very similar to how it has in years prior with some surprise autograph inserts and Victory Black rookie cards included in the packs. One of the key drivers every year is the 16th card that can only be obtained by making a purchase. This year the 16th card will be Auston Matthews for both the USA and Canada. They will be different cards however. The Canadian card will talk up the importance of Matthews with the Leafs and the American card will talk up the impressive fact he is the first American to be drafted in some time.

Kelsey’s ability to bring hobby coverage to the mainstream sports fan has been a true asset. GTS is happy to feature his thoughts on collecting in Hobby Musings. The opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.