I am really excited to see some new blood this year when it comes to hockey cards.  Panini is entering the market this year in September with Panini Certified.  I think this is great for collectors and for the industry as a whole.  I have always believed that competition is essential for product innovation and selection, but Panini’s first showing leaves me wanting more.

Being in the design industry myself I was hoping for something jaw dropping or super innovative for Panini’s first showing.  I must admit I am a little let down by what I have seen so far.  Now I do really like the design and the subsets (Masked Marvels, Junior Legacy, etc), but I was just hoping for something different like In the Game has been doing for years.  I would rather drop $100 for a box of Heroes and Prospects and get cards with huge swatches, complete jerseys, or even an entire logo.  I just thought Panini needed to make a statement and I don’t think they have with what they have shown so far.  Now maybe as it gets closer to release we will see some more innovative cards, but at this point it just feels like yet another “me too” product. 

Have a look for yourself below and let me know what you think.

Product Breakdown:

Look for (1) Autograph Card, (2) Memorabilia Cards, and (1) additional Autograph or Memorabilia Card per box.

Find (1) Mirror Red Parallel (4) other Parallels per box.

Look for Prospects like P.K. Subban, Nazem Kadri, Zach Hamill and many more, numbered as low as 999.

Autographs of your favorite legends, including Gordie Howe, Phil Esposito, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Hull, Patrick Roy and many, many more.

Discover Rookie Redemptions, exchangeable for the hottest prospects to debut early in the 2010-11 season. Look for Sweet die-cut memorabilia cards, dual-swatch cards and the hot dual-mem, dual-auto cards featuring hobby heroes like Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise and Ryan Miller.

Case Break:

- 6 Rookie Auto Mem Redemptions (#’d 799 or less, 2/inner case)
- Platinum Hot Boxes 3/Master, 1/inner (All cards #’d 999 or less)
- Possible case hits – 1 of 1 Mirror Black, Mirror Ice, Emerald Mem #’d 5

Box Break:

- 1 Autograph – Freshman Signature On-Card (#’d 1199 or less)!
- 2 Memorabilia Cards!
- Every box delivers On-Card auto!
- An additional Auto or Memorabilia Card!
- 1 Mirror Red Parallel!
- 4 additional parallels or inserts!
- 50 super-premium cards per box!

8 boxes per case, 10 packs per box, 5 cards per pack, Avg. Retail $100

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