The top NHL rookies converged on the MasterCard Centre in Toronto to partake in the NHLPA Rookie Showcase. All the players went through on ice and off ice photo shoots in preparation for the upcoming season. Upper Deck and Panini America were on hand to get their first shots of these talented young players.
It was great as a fan of the game and a collector to get access to the players and see what is involved with the process. I had complete access to all the players and took a bunch of photos and some video. I also managed to get some interviews from some of the top guys there. Unfortunately I did not walk away with any autographs from the event because I did not think it was appropriate, but it was an event I will never forget.
Below is a list of all the players who were in attendance at the event:
Taylor Hall – Edmonton Oilers
Tyler Seguin – Boston Bruins
Ryan Johansen – Columbus Blue Jackets
Jeff Skinner – Carolina Hurricanes
Brayden Schenn – Los Angeles Kings
Nazem Kadri – Toronto Maple Leafs
Jordan Eberle – Edmonton Oilers
Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi – Edmonton Oilers
Jordan Schroeder – Vancouver Canucks
Mats Zuccarello-Aasen – New York Rangers
Ryan McDonagh – New York Rangers
Jon Blum – Nashville Predators
Chet Pickard – Nashville Predators
Jacob Markstrom – Florida Panthers
Mattias Tedenby – New Jersey Devils
Tomas Tatar – Detroit Red Wings
Zach Hamill – Boston Bruins
Joe Colborne – Boston Bruins
Kyle Beach – Chicago Blackhawks
Scott Glennie – Dallas Stars
Calvin de Haan – New York Islanders
Kevin Shattenkirk – Colorado Avalanche
Eric Gudbranson – Florida Panthers
I will be putting together an article with my thoughts on the NHLPA Rookie Showcase for The Want List. Look for it in the October issue.
Have a look at some of the pictures I got from the event.
I will be posting the videos and interviews in Part 2 shortly.
