Hockey Shops Prepare for Tremendous Demand for NHL Double Rookie Class as 2013-14 Upper Deck Series One Hockey Arrives in Stores Today!

CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the abbreviated 2012-13 NHL season in the books, many trading card collectors and hockey fans alike have been eagerly anticipating the start of the 2013-14 season. Fans were not only excited to get a full season underway, but also because it gave the trading card world the unique position of offering a Double Rookie Class to NHL collectors.

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And today is the day hockey fans can get their first opportunity to experience opening Upper Deck's flagship NHL brand and pull "Young Guns" rookie cards featuring the best rookies over the last two years. Since rookie cards are a huge driver for NHL trading card sales, demand for the product both from consumers and dealers has far exceeded expectations and shops are reporting record setting numbers for 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck Series One already.

"Interest in this product has been amazing," said Moe Amerey, owner of West's Sports Cards in Edmonton, Alberta. "Fans have been waiting for the release of this product for months and after the checklist was released for the 'Young Guns' rookie cards, this has been all any of our customers have been talking about. I had to increase my orders drastically to meet the demand."

"A lot of collectors we have spoken to are comparing this to the 2005-06 season which was the last time the industry saw a double rookie class event," said Chuck Durka, owner of Breakaway Sports Cards in Hamilton, Ontario. "That was the season we saw amazing rookie cards of future stars like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Collectors know the 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck Series One release is loaded with two season's worth of rookies jammed into one product. This is the product hockey fans have been waiting for ever since the NHL lockout ended in January. The buzz in the store and on social media has been enormous."

The "Young Guns" rookie cards have certainly become the NHL rookie card that most hockey collectors chase. And this season with huge prospects like Nail Yakupov, Nathan MacKinnon, Tomas Hertl, Alex Galchenyuk, Seth Jones, Jonathan Huberdeau, Sean Monahan and more included in that checklist, hockey fans throughout the U.S. and Canada have plenty of great players to find in packs of 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck Series One. These "Young Guns" rookie cards fall 1:4 packs for hobby boxes and collectors can find an average of 6 per box. Rookie content is also extended to a variety of subsets with Upper Deck's MVP rookie cards can be found one per box on average and the Canvas versions of the "Young Guns" cards, which include different images on a premium textured trading card, fall at 1:48 packs.

"The release of Upper Deck Hockey each season triggers the start of the NHL collecting season and this year is no different," said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck's brand manager for hockey. "The checklist is loaded with the best rookies from the last two years and the collector response thus far has been overwhelmingly positive to the product. We have worked to support our hobby shop partners by running more than 30 release parties at various locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. It is an exciting time for collectors and we are happy to deliver a quality product fans are enjoying."

It is not just about the rookies however. The base set is always highly collectible and includes compelling action photography with 200 base cards and 50 rookie cards to collect. The "Shining Stars" insert cards are a beautifully designed technology driven series to chase with a bevy of key position players featured, and rare rainbow parallel cards to discover randomly inserted into packs. Another technology-based insert set that features the best goaltenders in the NHL is the "Clear Cuts Stoppers" set that are actually printed on acetate and die-cut. There are also "Clear Cut Honoured Members," "Clear Cut Foundations" and "Clear Cut Leaders" cards that also utilize this technology that collectors will enjoy searching for in packs.

Memorabilia collectors will get a kick out of Upper Deck's Game Jersey and Game Jersey Patch memorabilia cards. The Game Jersey cards fall two per box on average and the Game Jersey Patch parallel versions are limited to just 15 total copies. Also returning for this release are the extremely popular and very limited "A Piece of History 300 Win Club" jersey cards. Autograph collectors will love finding rare "Signature Sensations" cards that feature authentic autographs from key NHL players and fall at approximately one per case.

One of the biggest thrills for die-hard Upper Deck NHL collectors is the return of the "Lord Stanley's Heroes" hologram cards that feature a variety of current stars and legendary names like Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr. Upper Deck put a twist on this popular series by also creating "Lord Stanley's Futures" hologram cards that focus on standout rookies who are destined for greatness in the NHL.

Upper Deck was prepared for heightened demand for this release, but the demand has been so significant that earlier this week the company announced a sell out on 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck Series One. The product is truly a collectible that hockey fans everywhere will be looking to collect for years to come. The 2013-14 NHL Upper Deck Series One trading card product features 24 packs per box, 8 cards per pack and is currently available at retailers throughout the United States and Canada.

About Upper Deck

Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.

SOURCE Upper Deck