Mint Musings: Eichel Signing a Major Coup for Leaf – Leaf Trading Cards made some big headlines in the hobby last week when they announced the signing of hockey prospect Jack Eichel to an exclusive autograph deal. The second overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, the deal ensures that Leaf will be the only trading card company producing official autographed cards of Eichel. While he wouldn’t give an exact number, Leaf’s founder Brian Gray did state that Eichel’s autograph contract is a long-term, multi-year deal as opposed to short-term deals normally reached by prospects.

Jack EichelGray was understandably very excited by his company’s ability to lock up Eichel. Leaf has made a name for itself chasing down elusive autographs in both the sport and celebrity markets. They have some precedent in making deals with prospects early on, most notably with Damian Lillard. However, Gray pointed out that Lillard didn’t have as high a profile when he first turned professional.

Eichel on the other hand is one of the top prospects of this year’s NHL rookie class, arguably coming in only behind Connor McDavid. When asked about the significance and magnitude of the deal, Gray said the Eichel signing is, “One of the biggest things we’ve done as a company. This is the most highly touted prospect to sign with a smaller manufacturer than a major manufacturer. The amount of mainstream attention is on another level compared to anything we’ve done.”

So what does this mean for fans? For one, it means that Upper Deck won’t have certified autographs of Eichel in their products for a good while. Since Upper Deck has the exclusive card autograph rights on McDavid, it will sadly be a lost opportunity for fresh dual-signature cards of the two. If both of them go on to have stellar rookie seasons, there’s no doubt that a lot of collectors will be grumbling over Upper Deck and Leaf’s respective exclusives.

Upper Deck will still be able to make rookie and memorabilia cards of Eichel in his Sabres’ uniform, but losing that ability to produce autographed cards has to be a sore blow. On the flip side, Leaf will not be able to produce cards of Eichel in his Sabres’ uniform with the name and logo. When asked about how they were going to present Eichel on his cards, Gray said they planned on using “multiple colors and styles of jerseys” for his pictures, but he did say some airbrushing would have to be done when designing them.

This deal may also impact how much fans are willing to pay for Eichel’s autographs. The prevalent mindset in the hobby is that collectors are typically not willing to pay as much for cards of players not featured in their professional uniforms. However, Eichel is an interesting case. Unlike McDavid, who already has several certified autographs, Eichel has not been able to sign any autographs for the card companies due to his collegiate amateur status. Logos or not, there should be a pretty large demand for his autographs given the relative lack of material available.

Keeping the fans in mind, Gray remarked that they were planning on making limited quantities of Eichel’s autographs so as not to flood the market too early. At the same time, he also stressed that he didn’t want to make it impossible for collectors to receive one, and he doesn’t want collectors to stress over the acquisition cost. When asked further about it, he put it simply, “We’ll have affordable cards for him.”

My take on this? It’s undeniably a bold statement and a major signing for Leaf. I highlighted the significance of the deal earlier, but having this level of a prospect in their stable gives Leaf a major player to build around, at least for the coming year. If Eichel ends up not living up to his potential, it could be a very rough blow for Leaf. According to reports and Brian Gray himself, Leaf paid more for Eichel’s autograph deal than what McDavid got from Upper Deck.

This is clearly someone he wants to build around and make a prominent part of his brand. Gray has told me in the past that he’s willing to pay for what he wants and this deal, along with several of the others he’s done, proves that beyond a doubt. This is a man who offered Charles Barkley $1 million to sign autographs for him, something Barkley himself confirmed. In case you’re curious, Barkley turned the offer down. (Watch video.)

It does stink for fans. Once again, there will be a limited choice with a player’s cards and autographs. In all fairness, Brian Gray lamented over this fact when we spoke, wishing the exclusive barriers weren’t as stringent as they are. In his defense though, he’s simply doing something that all of the other companies do. While it’s a shame for fans, it’s unfortunately part of the hobby culture today.

For my part, I don’t like sport exclusives, and I’ve yet to meet a collector who does. It’s not a knock against the companies who have them, it just does a disservice to the hobby world not to have variety in trading cards. Given the money being paid out by the companies to the leagues for the exclusive licenses though, I highly doubt it will change any time soon.

For the here and now though, the deal is done and Eichel will be Leaf’s guy for quite some time. I’m curious to see fan reception and resale value on his autographed cards when they come out. As I said earlier, I do think the demand will be there for him, especially if he has a stellar season. Whether this opens up the door for Leaf to make similar deals remains to be seen, but given the determination shown by Gray, it wouldn’t surprise me if he has a couple encores up his sleeve.

Editor’s Note: Jack Eichel’s first certified autographed cards will be available in 2015 Leaf/ITG Superlative Hockey, releasing this November.


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

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