Hobby Musings: NHL’s late start date and Upper Deck – The pandemic has affected many aspects of the sports world. For the NHL, it’s meant having a later start and shortened regular season. This in turn provided some challenges for Upper Deck in producing cards for the new season. I had the chance to catch up with UD’s Chris Carlin to find out what this atypical season has meant, as well as discuss some highlights he’s seen from their early hockey card products.
Chris Carlin, Head of Customer Experience, The Upper Deck Company
KS: Chris, how did the NHL’s delayed start to the season affect your trading card production for this season?
CC: The biggest hurdle has been the rookies, but luckily many of the holdovers are pretty stout given the exception we were granted to use players who were on playoff rosters last season. In particular, I think holdover rookies like Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche), Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals), Peyton Krebs (Vegas Golden Knights), Nick Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Josh Norris (Ottawa Senators) are all worth a long look in my opinion.
KS: What has been the biggest challenge in planning for an entire new hockey card season with the pandemic ongoing?
CC: Honestly it’s been a real challenge. Our vendors are really challenged by the pandemic experiencing shutdowns on occasions and changes to workflow to operate safely. Quality is really important to Upper Deck and there have been some challenges there as of late. We are actively tracking any issues we see with releases to try to reduce the likelihood of them happening again in the future. Upper Deck invests in putting serial numbers inside boxes so our Customer Care team tracks what the issue was and what the serial number is, then we can go back and figure out where in the run the issue occurred and work to fix it for future releases. Our staff at headquarters are frequently working more remotely, which creates some challenges as well, especially in California where there are some tougher restrictions on business operation.
KS: One big bit of early buzz has come from prospect Alexis Lafreniere, especially for his Young Guns cards in Series 1. With that being said, when can we expect to see the first game-action photos of Lafreniere on Upper Deck cards?
CC: I believe much of the new action photography from the current season will hit in 2020-21 NHL Upper Deck Series Two. Red hot rookies like Tim Stutzle, Alexander Romanov and Krill Kaprizov will be headlines in the Young Guns sets there.
KS: Aside from Lafreniere, which other rookie has made the biggest impact among collectors so far?
CC: The passion of the Montreal market has, once again, led to one of their top prospects – defenseman Alexander Romanov – far exceed initial expectations for the impact his cards will have on the market. Collectors are making a logical assumption that he will be the card for the Montreal rookie redemption in Artifacts, which has seen sales of
$25-$50, with a few upwards of $100. The Romanov buzz may fade because he’s a defenseman, but he’s a key rookie to watch this season.
KS: Chris, another cool thing going on in the NHL is the reverse retro jerseys. Does Upper Deck have any plans to make game-used relic cards of those, and if so, when can we expect to see them in products?
CC: Collectors will definitely feel the reverse retro love in releases this season. I can’t share all the details at this time, but it will be fun and a cool new look for many established franchises.
KS: The NHL announced plans for an expansion franchise in Seattle, the Kraken. What is Upper Deck looking to do with the new team?
CC: We’ve had conversations with the team and are looking at opportunities to promote the NHL’s newest team. In other sports, expansion teams usually don’t compete or have much of an impact right off the bat, but that’s not what we see in hockey. The Vegas Golden Knights’ early success and worldwide fan support indicate we could see some HUGE activity coming with the Kraken taking the ice. Additionally, there are tremendous hobby shops in the Pacific northwest that sell tons of Seahawks, Mariners, Trailblazers and even Sonics. Many will be transitioning to hockey as the fan base is ignited in Seattle!
KS: Looking at other hockey leagues, does Upper Deck still plan to go forward with CHL and AHL sets this year?
CC: Yes, both are on the calendar, but instead of March/April releases, they will likely be June/July with the delayed start to the season.
KS: Upper Deck has been very active with its hockey card promotions over the years. A part of that is arena-based promotions. Are there are any plans to re-direct those programs to go to hobby shops or anything like that? Or will they be postponed outright for this season?
CC: For right now we will be using e-Pack as a way to engage collectors through teams since they cannot have fans in arenas. That could change towards the postseason however. Additionally, we are sponsoring segments on NHL Network called, “Upper Deck Unwrap” where on-air personalities talk about new sets, open packs and tie them to upcoming games.
KS: What else do you have on the horizon for hockey products?
CC: Our Operations team is busy packing out The Cup currently, which is a release fans have been chomping at the bit for. I’m really excited for that to finally hit the market. The return of Clear Cut will be another release that fans have been more than patiently waiting for. It will be great to finally get these two out in the market, and fans should really enjoy them.
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.
Hobby Musings: NHL’s late start date and Upper Deck
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