Upper Deck AHL Hobby Box

[TRDouble]

I see Upper Deck is finally going to use the AHL license they acquired. The whole thing seems a bit odd to me, coming from UD. Even more so now that they have the exclusive NHL license. It would seem better to slot them in as a subset or something, instead of giving them their own release, unless the AHL and AHL Players union finally got on them for basically just sitting on the license for over a year plus.

UD AHL Hobby Box at Steel City

[theboxbreaker96]

Im actually shocked the price is that low. Even though that's still way too high for me. I was expecting something in $60s at least. I think this is UD taking a shot at ITG putting some pressure against them.


I think this will be a terrible product with 5 $1 autos in each box. This will be a disaster by UD I can see it now. I didn't even know they had an AHL license.


I will stick to ITG for the prospect and pre rookie cards as UD wont come close to touching ITG IMO. I will stay a far far far away from this product.

[andrewconnors9]

24.99 seems more suffice

[japhi]

I don't live in a city with an AHL team but my guess is this is aimed at fans of those teams. AHL attendance last year was 6MM

[Cunnuc]

I will stick with a shot at ITG. That's the first thing I thought of when I first heard of news of this AHL release. I wouldn't touch any of these cards personally.

[MattDMC]

This is going to be a major FAIL!

You know its a fail when this "Red Wings’ 1st-Round Pick, Netminder Tomas McCollum" is among the product highlights.

[redwingluke]

24.99 seems more suffice

Guarantee it will be around there in a month or two

[TRDouble]

This isn't a shot at ITG. That was taken a couple of years ago when UD basically took the AHL license from ITG (who, if memory serves, was then offered a sub license with limited player use). It's why Heroes & Prospects and Between The Pipes no longer have AHL cards and autos in them. And then, after getting the AHL license, UD just sat on the license...

Until now. That is what makes me wonder if they are getting some pressure to do something with the AHL license, because the last mass release product with AHL players was ITG's 2011/12 Heroes & Prospects Update Set, back in September 2012. That's almost two years without any product for a league that had mass exposure in product twice a year, not including the H&P Update Set. And this set seems rushed to get product out; a quick factory set with some autos thrown in and due for release on 7/31 (doubtful). Only Steel City even has it up for pre-order.

And I can't lie. I love ITG product, but not having the AHL license has hurt BTP and H&P for me. I still buy BTP (and still sporadically buy H&P, as I always have), but I miss the AHL players. I have a decent number of GoalieGraphs of former AHL players that are now regulars in the NHL. Tomas McCollum not being one of them (which is too bad because he is a local product).

This is a pass for me as well. I like the AHL as a supplement to a larger set, like H&P with the CHL, NHL Players and retired NHL players. Not so much as a standalone set. It might do okay in AHL cities, but at probably twice the price in arenas.

[odjickfan]

Guarantee it will be around there in a month or two

I'll wait a little bit. I like bargain breaks!

[miscs75]

It looks interesting but 5 base cards and 1 auto are about all that I find interesting. I will be trading for bulk base of the Islanders players (Lee, Mayfield, Mouillierat, Brennan, Zolnierczyk) if anyone gets them.