First Look: 2014-15 In The Game Heroes & Prospects

[LeafGregg]

No Kapanen in this years product. We tried to focus on upcoming draft prospects we can. The price will be higher then what you are used to with H&P because we added so much. Not sure of the final price structure yet. We want to avoid a situation where it is $115 a box then 4 months later $45 on close out. Making the product more limited, drastically so, should help that. I can answer most checklist questions you have for this product. Also, Superlative images should be available soon and am working on Leaf Signatures Series Hockey and Pearl Hockey

[brian045]

Thanks for taking your time to talk with us! cant wait to buy this, looks like a lot of sweet game used cards to be had!

[pwaldo]

Whether or not you like the product, ITG/Leaf, or whatever you should be thankful that a rep from the company would take his time to chat and answer questions about the product. Not many companies would do that so they should definitely be thanked for doing so.

[jsokol1626]

Whether or not you like the product, ITG/Leaf, or whatever you should be thankful that a rep from the company would take his time to chat and answer questions about the product. Not many companies would do that so they should definitely be thanked for doing so.

That's called marketing, every company does it in one form or the other. Reps from other card companies have appeared here as well. It's their job to please and thank the customer, so let's not get carried away here.

[frankiefives]

We submit a desired list for autographs based off how the next few drafts will look, most we get, some dont wish to participate. I think we have 12 or so of the projected 1st round 2016 picks and 17 from 2015. We will miss on a few, but usually will get most of the big names.
.

So no autos of Scherbak, Domi and other guys who were drafted in previous years but haven't left their Junior teams yet?

[patd]

I'm disapponted to hear that there will be no BTP this year. It is the product that got me back into collecting, and the one that I look forward to the most each year.

Gregg - will there be any Olaf Kolzig cards in the product? In the past, I could always count on ITG products to keep my Kolzig collection alive, so I am hoping that he will continue to be a staple in Leaf/ITG products going forward.

Thank you for all of the info.

[JTPens58]

I think including BTP as a subset of HP (and maybe other future releases) is a mistake. There are a lot of avid goalie collectors out there that loved having a goalie only product - BTP has long since been my favorite ITG release and would have probably been the only Leaf product I would have considered buying (boxes, singles, and maybe both). The base/no base has been debated long and hard on another site, so I won't rehash that...but I do have one suggestion for this product, and future ones: stop the airbrushing madness. The Ultimate release had some really amazing cards that were ruined by the airbrushing - that kept me from buying anything that I might have otherwise targeted. I understand the licensing side of it and the issues that can create, but there has to be a better alternative! Just head shots? Or maybe side-shots that cover up anything that cannot be displayed? The full body shots where the entire jersey has been airbrushed a solid color (all red on an Yzerman I saw for example) just looks terrible in my opinion and detracts from the overall sharpness of the card.

[reoddai]

OK guys, any questions for me let's have at it. I will answer anything I can.

Great. BTW, welcome aboard. Answering questions is always apprecaited, especially from someone in the industry.

Adding in Between the Pipes as an insert seemed like a smooth transition because that product could not stand alone anymore....
I felt the need to make it a more balanced product then the past which was really 95% prospects and 5% legends.

Total bummer. My favourite set. Even though your second comment was about H&P, I must admit that BTP felt like it was moving in that direction too (although not 95%). Having the CHL license must have made H&P the forward thinking choice.

The decision to remove the base from H&P was not easy and was not taken lightly, but in the end it was the only way for the product to survive. There was just not enough demand and taking an entire form for base cards was not viable. Last years base set can be had for under $10, which is not a bad thing but does not warrant the cost of producing base, which is expensive.

Excellent point. I will say what's old is new again. Have you considered lower quality base cards (similar to the card stock used in the 70's & 80's)? I believe in the mid 90's Dr. Price was in charge of a 94 Parkhurst release (tallboys? missing links?). That would fit very well with the "heroes" side of the H&P product.

This product will have all the top prospects and legends memorabilia such as Vezina, Howe, Gretzky, Dryden, Plante, Orr, Richard, Lindbergh, Tretiak, Sawchuk and many others. The product needed an overhaul or it may not have existed anymore. Now, this does not mean we won't look to adding back base in the future, but for now we want to give this format a chance.

Great. I will say that your mockup's air brushing is really good. Almost too good. Any chance to license the logos from individual NHL teams for use in trading cards? Even just the original 6 would be very useful.

Cheers,
reoddai

[qwas]

Will you please try to get kjell Dahlin into a set this year. He seems to be a willing signer, at least for me he was and he is an ex- Montreal Canadien who won a stanley cup so that should make him a little more attractive to include in a set. Please, Please.

[iidaemmi]

Is this pun intended or are you looking for ja ob with Leaf? LOL

I say only what I see, nothing more nothing less. I thought that they would be able to change the design.

Harri