Panini Back in Hockey? Or just Kakko Autos.....

[30ranfordfan]

Here we go again. The exclusive card manufacturer for the NHL, Upper Deck, is going to miss out on rookie autos of one of this year's top prospects:

https://www.beckett.com/news/panini-...aph-card-deal/


Interesting that it's Panini though, not Leaf this time.

[RGM81]

I like Panini and I think it would have been good for them and the hobby if they had continued to share the exclusive with UD beyond 13-14. It seemed like they were really hitting their stride that year. Alas.

I don't like this sort of thing: "the company could include him in multi-sport products and online product initiatives." No doubt they will look nice, but it's another instance of getting airbrushed imagery and things that just look out of place.

[nyrangersfan8169]

Very sad about this :(

[sparty07]

I like Panini and I think it would have been good for them and the hobby if they had continued to share the exclusive with UD beyond 13-14. It seemed like they were really hitting their stride that year. Alas.

I don't like this sort of thing: "the company could include him in multi-sport products and online product initiatives." No doubt they will look nice, but it's another instance of getting airbrushed imagery and things that just look out of place.

Their baseball product looks like garbage compared to their football/basketball. I wonder if they could work through their european connections to get more Finnish imagery with logos. That would look better.

Also, I'm not surprised that Panini finally took a shot at UD who has been grabbing basketball talent for a little bit.

[pwaldo]

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[RGM81]

Just as soon as I belong, then it's time I disappear. LOL

[creasecollector]

Looks like the article was pulled. Probably waiting on the official announcement from Panini first before the news really breaks about this new exclusive signing.

Gotta say, Panini really came out of nowhere on this thing. Didn't expect them to make a move like this in the hockey card market.

[30ranfordfan]

Their baseball product looks like garbage compared to their football/basketball. I wonder if they could work through their european connections to get more Finnish imagery with logos. That would look better.

Also, I'm not surprised that Panini finally took a shot at UD who has been grabbing basketball talent for a little bit.

I'd bank on that. Getting him in a Finnish uni seems likely. We all hate airbrushed shots - but Leaf (for example) did make use of some good photos. Ones where you didn't need to airbrush anything.... because the angle didn't show the logo. Panini will be able to figure that out.

You make a good point on Panini taking a shot back at UD. We moan in hockey because some recent players didn't have Rookie Autos..... but it's happened in Basketball too, ironically because Upper Deck is signing basketball players to exclusives (Ben Simmons), and poaching them from the licensed manufacturer.

I wonder how much other hockey (autos, game used) Panini has left?

[apod417]

I'm willing to bet that Panini will push at least one full hockey product for next year, doing what Leaf and ITG(rip) did. They probably still have left overs and who knows what they have been collecting the last few years, also they did make a push to get the license back or shared, they could have been gearing up expecting to be back.

[sparty07]

but it's happened in Basketball too, ironically because Upper Deck is signing basketball players to exclusives (Ben Simmons), and poaching them from the licensed manufacturer.

I wonder how much other hockey (autos, game used) Panini has left?

2 Part response:
They also have exclusives with Michael Jordan and Lebron James, those names are bigger than any recent rookie in hockey that was poached. I'm also impressed that they were able to get unlicensed Luka and Ohtani autos into products.

With the Anthology product in 2016, do they truly have anything left? I would have assumed they blew it all away in that product.