Jack Johnson Autograph Card

Much has been said about Team USA's dead-last finish at the World Cup, particularly about John Tortorella's coaching style and the make-up of the team assembled by Dean Lombardi and Brian Burke, notably the absence of proven (and speedy) goal-scorers such as Phil Kessel, Kyle Okposo and Bobby Ryan, as well as the absence of a Justin Faulk or a Kevin Shattenkirk on defense instead of Erik Johnson or Jack Johnson.

You might recall that last name as either the best defenseman on the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets for a while (say, prior to their trade for Seth Jones) or as the punchline to a surprising headline in 2014, when he filed for bankruptcy (his parents took high-interest loans in his name).

All of which doesn't take away from the fact that, at his best, he is a 30-to-40-point producing defenseman in the NHL. It's not quite what is usually expected from a third-overall draft pick (Carolina Hurricanes, 2005), but that's a #2 or #3 defenseman on most teams, and a #1 on a weak one. His seven points in six playoff games against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 213-14 led all Jackets players, after all.

He's also won every type of medal with the American team: gold (2005 U-18s), silver (2004 U-18s and 2010 Olympics), and bronze (2007 World Juniors).

Here he is wearing the Los Angeles Kings' former black-and-gold uniform, on card #GG-JJ from Upper Deck's beautiful 2007-08 Ice set and Glacial Graphs sub-set:

It's a see-through plastic card (the text from the back can be seen at the top-right portion of the scan) that he signed in blue sharpie.

Keith Ballard Autograph Card

Keith Ballard is a bizarre case. A gifted offensive defenseman, he is prone to making bad decisions at times, but unlike other offensive defensemen, his bad decisions don't necessarily entail giving the puck away to opponents as much as demonstrate a tendency to react in ways no one else would.

Case in point: late in the 2007-08 season, as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes, he had an altercation with a fan at Vancouver's BC Place. This season, while a member of the Florida Panthers, after his team gave up a goal, he accidentally slashed his teammate Tomas Vokoun in the back of the head (he was aiming to break his stick on the cross bar and missed), cutting him at the ear and forcing him to leave on a stretcher; the following game, he ran into Colorado Avalanche goalie (and former teammate) Craig Anderson, whose head hit the goal post rather abruptly.

Such events take away from the attention he should be getting on the ice: in 2005-06, the year this card was released, incidentally, he led all NHL defensemen in shorthanded goals, with 3. Also, a rare feat for a defenseman, he was almost a point-per-game player in both the USHL (with the Omaha Lancers) and NCAA (with the renowned University of Minnesota Golden Gophers).

In the NHL, he has always been a part of strong top-3 or top-4 on the D, but make no mistake about it, he is always a centerpiece, never a side dish, and is killer on the powerplay.

Although the scan doesn't render it justice, this beautiful card from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Ice series (Glacial Graphs sub-set, card # GG-KB) depicting Ballard in his white Coyotes jersey isn't with a white-and-silver background, more like transparent-and-see-through. Its worth is in the high $20s, but when collectors wake up to how spectacular of a talent Ballard actually is, could skyrocket.