Box Break - - 2010-11 Panini Zenith Blaster Box

The cards you find in retail are generally focused around what most would consider the low-mid range products.  During the 2010-11 hockey season, Panini revived the Zenith brand but decided to market a "retail" version of their product in addition to the normal hobby boxes.  What a great idea....

That was until you saw the price tag.  $29.99 for 3 packs of 5 cards!!  That's 15 cards for about $30, making it $2 per card.  Quite the steep price tag for anyone interested in busting retail, including myself.  I wasn't even interested in the hobby product at the time.  Not even the "Dare to Tear" promotional gimmick suckered me in either.  My LCS at the time had a Mark Messier Box Topper and they obliged the masses by mutilating the card only to find an EPIX Duncan Keith insert.  Good for a Chicago-land card shop but definitely a downer.

Fast forward a little more than 2 years and we now have these boxes still sitting on some retail shelves.  But our friends at Target are not about to have them sit much longer.  They have slapped everyones favorite round clearance sticker on these and have them market at $9.99.  So at about $.66/card, it might be easier to swallow.

Lets see what comes out of a blaster box of 2010-11 Panini Zenith.

First, here are some samples of the base cards.  There are both current stars (#1-115) and "short-printed" legends that are high numbers (#116-140).

I also pulled a GU card....

This card comes from the Winter Warriors insert set, not to be confused with the Donruss version of these called Boys of Winter.  Here we have Jared Boll of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  At least he still plays for the same team.  It's a plain blue swatch, if you can't already tell.

Finally, I pulled one Rookie Roll Call insert (not a jersey version but still)...


wait for it....

Taylor Hall.  In 2010-11 Hall and Seguin were the two big draws for the rookie class.  Getting a Hall out of this box was pretty cool considering how much 10-11 hockey I opened without as much as a peak of Mr. Hall.  I did pull a few Seguin's back then but alas, no Halls.  I have picked up a few since then but it's not the same when you unwrap one of the bigger draws of a set.

Now that the price has dropped, I would say pick up a box or two if you can find them.  You can even get a hobby box under $70 (I even saw one for $62).  They are nicely designed base cards, will probably yield a few nice hits, and are probably an easy set to put together for all you set chasers out there.

Taylor vs. Tyler: 2010 NHL Entry Draft

VS.

(No, not those two)

Tonight is the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.  It is a night that most up and coming hockey players dream of since they begin their careers at an early age.  The draft itself spills over into Saturday with rounds 2-7.  Anyone interested in catching all the "action" can tune in on either Versus in the US or TSN and RDS in Canada, but I'm sure anyone from Canada that is reading this already knows that.

The debate around the water cooler is who goes first?  I think with this years draft class, it really isn't going to make much difference either way.  The top two prospects (...top 4 if you ask me) are both well equiped for any type of situation they may face in their transition to the NHL.  This year we find the two top dogs being Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.  Logically, Edmonton with the first pick, has a no brainer situation here.  Either player is going to provide them with the upgrade they need to become a viable playoff caliber team. 

VS.

(These two.)

For Boston, leftovers aren't something to groan about since one of these two will also be a welcome addition to their team.  Boston came oh so close to making it to the Stanley Cup and I think the rigors of the season finally caught up to them in the end.  Young talent, like Taylor and Tyler both possess, will most certainly aid in preventing that year end stall out that teams keep having.  

Bottom line here is you can't go wrong with either choice. 

If I were a betting man (and I am), I would say that Taylor hall has a slight edge over Tyler in terms of going to Edmonton.  They need a winger that can be a leader right away and make an impact on the team out of the starting gate.  Hall is already battle ready, having lead the Windsor Spitfires to the Memorial Cup.  Expect the Oilers to draft him quickly. 

That leaves Tyler to go to the Bruins.  In my opinion, Tyler has a slight edge in skills and a much bigger upside in the long run.  The problem here is the Bruins need another first line center like they need a hole in the head.  I can see Seguin making the team from day one without having to spend much time in the minors.  The only issue I see here is whether he can keep a job long term with Bergeron, Savard, and Krecji in front of him.  Sadly, an injury to any one of those three could give him the big break he needs.  I think whoever goes to Boston will make the fans say Kessel, who?

Here is my prediction for the Top 10.  Argue all you want about positioning.  This is why I blog and am not a beat writer.

1) Edmonton - Taylor Hall

2) Boston - Tyler Seguin

3) Florida - Cam Fowler (D), best puck handling defensemen in the draft

4) Columbus - Erik Gudbranson (D), could be the next Chris Pronger

5) New York Islanders - Brandon Gormley (D), solid two-way defenseman, great penalty killer

6) Tampa Bay - Brett Connolly (W), they need a winger for the Stamkos line

7) Carolina - Nino Niederreiter (W), they need a winger too so this could be a swap with #6

8) Atlanta - Jack Campbell (G), the first goalie to go in the draft, and boy do they need one

9) Minnesota - Ryan Johansen (C), an Eric Staal style centerman

10) New York Rangers - Emerson Etem (C), the Rangers need speed at center and Etem is probably the fastest skater in the draft.  Plus he can score.

My hopes for the Pens...with the 23rd pick I can see a Dylan McIlrath if he falls that far.  They need a defenseman for the future and Dylan is by far the grittiest of this years draft.  I could also see Petr Straka at this pick.  He is a highly skilled winger and above all, a playmaker.  That's what the Pens need.  Realistically, they may be tempted by a goalie with this pick, especially if the top tier D-men and scoring wingers are swiped up early.  Maybe a Calvin Pickard or even Jack Campbell if he falls this far (I doubt it).

UPDATE:

Well my picks weren't very good.  The obvious 1, 2, & 6 were pretty much my only hits.  The Thrashers, Wild, and Rangers all went a little nuts with their picks and ruined my bracket.

Here is where it all ended up:

1) Edmonton - Taylor Hall

2) Boston - Tyler Seguin

3) Florida - Erik Gudbranson

4) Columbus - Ryan Johansen

5) New York Islanders - Nino Niederreiter

6) Tampa Bay - Brett Connolly

7) Carolina - Jeff Skinner

8) Atlanta - Alexander Burmistrov

9) Minnesota  - Mikael Granlund

10) New York Rangers - Dylan McIlrath

Central Scouting's List of Wishful Thinking or Future Card Set In The Making

I found an interesting article that came out of the NHL either yesterday or today about the upcoming 2010 Entry Draft.  This years event is scheduled for June 25-26th at the Staples Center in L.A.  The article focuses on some of the strengths and weaknesses of all the players in the final rankings of top skaters eligible for the draft. 

Tyler Seguin of the OHL's Plymouth Whalers is ranked as the No. 1 prospect followed close behind by Taylor Hall of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires.  Both of these young guys have been flip flopped throughout the year as the overall #1 and #2 respectively.  Because of his second half improvements, the final rankings put Seguin ahead by a very small margin. 

They also ranked the overall top 210 North American players and 30 goalies as well as 150 international players.  You can check out the article here. 

The most interesting thing I found was the comparisons that were made of each skater to a NHL counterpart either current or retired.  It is amazing to see some of the talent that is being predicted to come from this draft class.  Here is Central Scouting's list of the top 30 North American skaters and who they feel is a best comparison for style and playing ability.  This gives me a great idea (albeit recycled) for a card set...
1. Tyler Seguin, C -- Steve Yzerman (retired)

2. Taylor Hall, LW -- Zach Parise, Devils

3. Brett Connolly, RW -- Peter Forsberg (Sweden)

4. Erik Gudbranson, D -- Dion Phaneuf, Maple Leafs

5. Cam Fowler, D -- Mike Green, Capitals

6. Brandon Gormley, D -- Chris Phillips, Senators

7. Mark Pysyk, D -- Duncan Keith, Blackhawks

8. Emerson Etem, RW -- Glenn Anderson (retired)

9. Derek Forbort, D -- Erik Johnson, Blues

10. Ryan Johansen, C -- Jason Spezza, Senators

11. Alexander Burmistrov, C -- Maxim Afinogenov, Thrashers

12. Nino Niederreiter, RW -- Erik Cole, Hurricanes

13. Nick Bjugstad, C -- Andrew Brunette, Wild

14. Austin Watson, F -- Kris Draper, Red Wings

15. John McFarland, C -- Brenden Morrow, Stars

16. Tyler Toffoli, C -- Tim Connolly, Sabres

17. Dylan McIlrath, D -- Ed Jovanovski, Coyotes

18. Tyler Pitlick, C -- Mark Parrish, Lightning

19. Quinton Howden, C-- Todd Bertuzzi, Red Wings

20. Stanislav Galiev, RW -- Alexander Frolov, Kings

21. Jonathon Merrill, D -- Jordan Leopold, Penguins

22. Riley Sheahan, C -- Jordan Staal, Penguins

23. Petr Straka, RW -- Pavol Demitra, Canucks

24. Charlie Coyle, F -- Bob Sweeney, Bruins

25. Brock Nelson, C -- David Backes, Blues

26. Kevin Hayes, RW -- Eric Staal, Hurricanes

27. Ryan Martindale, C -- Steve Bernier, Canucks

28. Jaden Schwartz, C -- Derek Roy, Sabres

29. Alexander Petrovic, D -- Brent Seabrook, Blackhawks

30. Jordan Weal, C -- Jason Blake, Ducks

(Not mine but a good example)

This reminds me of the 1997-98 Donruss Limited, (I think), subset that was labeled as the Counterparts which featured a veteran player on one side and a young star on the other.  Sounds to me like a card set in the making.  I'm just thinking out loud here...30 cards; each would feature the prospect on the front and their comparison on the back. 

(Again, not mine but you get the point)

Or, it could be like the Idols subsets that Pinnacle used to do where the main player would be in color on the front and their comparison would be muted in the background in either black and white or the classic sepia color.  The backs could have an explanation about the comparison or some background that links the two players.  You could even have a parallel version with GU pieces or autographs. 

Now I am just going off on a tangent.  I'd buy that set though. 

Any card creators out not named Upper Deck or Panini want to take a stab at this one?