What Are You Most Looking Foward to from Upper Deck Now?

[theboxbreaker96]

This is the "official" release schedule for UD in the next couple months:

August 6th, 2014 - 14-15 MVP
August 14th, 2014 - 14-15 Team Canada World Juniors
August 20th, 2014 - 13-14 Ultimate Collection
September 3rd, 2014 - 14-15 O-Pee-Chee
September 17th, 2014 - 14-15 Ultra
October 8th, 2014 - 14-15 Artifacts

The Cup will be in there somewhere as well. We can assume that the old "subject to change" thing will come into effect probably somewhere along the line, but it's not as though we're going to be coming out from being under siege with releases to a state where we are not.

Also RGM though its not like we are getting Select, Prizm, Trilogy and Certified all before November either. Those products are focused on "Hits" Autos and Jerseys. We are getting a bunch of lower end products with few game used and very few autos (Ultra, MVP, OPC) then Artifacts in Oct, S1 in Nov, Black Diamond in Dec like always. Its not like we will be getting a product every 2 weeks. Also UD may have more plans than that but that's my guess. Also the Canada WJ I have no idea if its Autos and GU or just a product like Ultra so I left it off. I also left off the 13-14 products as they are not in the UD exclusive era.

[habscards]

In all seriousness can Upper Deck create a new product lets say when the NHL playoffs start and just include carry over rookies?

I know that is really pushing it but is their a rule saying that they can not? Create say Victory and have all updated player cards of after the trade deadline.

[piper1]

From that release list I will probably only get OPC.

[30ranfordfan]

How do you mean?

Like, roughly when the playoffs are starting.... they being production of a new product, that includes hold over rookies and players that were traded at the deadline on their new teams?

That's (roughly) when they are doing it. They likely began work on the early 14-15 stuff around the end of the regular season.


Or do you mean produce that set as part of the 13-14 season? That they could not do. Whatever their cut off date is.... say the Olympic Break.... nobody who debuts after that can have a card in current year products.

In all seriousness can Upper Deck create a new product lets say when the NHL playoffs start and just include carry over rookies?

I know that is really pushing it but is their a rule saying that they can not? Create say Victory and have all updated player cards of after the trade deadline.

[hossa18sens]

I am most excited about seeing the end of the exclusive license

[habscards]

How do you mean?

Like, roughly when the playoffs are starting.... they being production of a new product, that includes hold over rookies and players that were traded at the deadline on their new teams?

That's (roughly) when they are doing it. They likely began work on the early 14-15 stuff around the end of the regular season.


Or do you mean produce that set as part of the 13-14 season? That they could not do. Whatever their cut off date is.... say the Olympic Break.... nobody who debuts after that can have a card in current year products.

Sorry I mean could they release a 2014-15 product months earlier? From the time between the Olympic break and the next month or two a new crop of rookie will debut in the NHL. I am just asking if they could have started creating Kuznetsov and other rookie cards as 2014-15 products months ago?

If a high end rookie made their debut late in the season could Upper Deck jump the gun and start creating a product long before the current season is done. What if Jonathan Drouin played the last few regular season games and played great in the playoffs. Would they technically be smart to go with the hype. I am sure for a rookie like him they may have some sort of a post draft or pre season photoshoot jersey to work with.

[RGM81]

Sorry I mean could they release a 2014-15 product months earlier? From the time between the Olympic break and the next month or two a new crop of rookie will debut in the NHL. I am just asking if they could have started creating Kuznetsov and other rookie cards as 2014-15 products months ago?

If a high end rookie made their debut late in the season could Upper Deck jump the gun and start creating a product long before the current season is done. What if Jonathan Drouin played the last few regular season games and played great in the playoffs. Would they technically be smart to go with the hype. I am sure for a rookie like him they may have some sort of a post draft or pre season photoshoot jersey to work with.

Creating yes, releasing no.

The NHLPA mandates that there has to be a cutoff date for any new rookie cards to appear in a current year's products.

This is to ensure that players can be represented in as many products as possible--Max Pacioretty is a name that comes to mind when discussing this issue. He made his NHL debut on January 31, 2009, the exact cut-off date for 2008-09 rookies to have cards produced. As a result of his late debut, Pacioretty doesn't have (among other lower-end releases) the following RCs: O-Pee-Chee, Black Diamond, OPC Premier, SP Game Used, SPx, Ice, Trilogy, and most importantly of all, a Young Guns. Should UD have held off on Pacioretty until 2009-10 releases? There's a good argument to be made there. His SP Authentic and Ultimate Collection RC's were both non-autos--imagine how much more value they would have if they were autographed?

In your example, say Jonathan Drouin made his NHL debut in the very last game of the regular season for Tampa Bay on April 13th. Both Panini and Upper Deck had already released the majority of their products, and were in the final stages of preparing and releasing their higher-end products. It would have been a virtual guarantee that he would be a redemption in any autograph RC product, including Rookie Anthology if Panini were able to produce the cards to get him to sign the autographs needed for the litany of releases included. He would not have a Young Guns RC. He would not have had any content for Dominion in time. They would be scrambling to get cards designed, printed, and produced for inclusion into stuff like SP Authentic, Ultimate Collection, Prime, National Treasures, and The Cup. Why go through all of that when they can hold him over to 2014-15 and give him the entire spectrum of rookie cards?

The list goes on and on as to why there is an early cut-off date.

[habscards]

Sorry I must have worded it badly.

I had meant could they create a next years product a few months earlier than what is planned for now. That way the could cash in on some late debuting super rookie. It would be like having UD create a 2014-15 product in April.

[RGM81]

No they can't do that. Officially the "hockey card season" runs August 1 to July 31 (might be July to June).

[30ranfordfan]

Sorry I must have worded it badly.

I had meant could they create a next years product a few months earlier than what is planned for now. That way the could cash in on some late debuting super rookie. It would be like having UD create a 2014-15 product in April.

No they can't do that. Officially the "hockey card season" runs August 1 to July 31 (might be July to June).

And see, this is where I don't like what's happened....


The answer to habscards question is 'no'. They can't cash in on those late season rookies until August 1. That's when the "new year" is allowed to start. It still really bothers me that the "old year" is allowed to continue past that point though. That's the big thing I wish the PA would come down on. No new year products before all the old year ones are out.... and make a hard deadline. If you can't release it by XXXX then don't release it at all.

I know people will say "well, they need to cut down on redemptions" and there's great reasons like that for the delays....... well, aside from the rookies there is no reason these cards couldn't be made nearly a year in advance (not like current year stats are going on many of these cards) and they'd have plenty of time to get them signed.