Anthony DeAngelo Autograph Card

(team and product links go to sponsored Amazon products, player links go to related pages on my blog, news links go to source pages)

The New York Rangers have put one of their best defensemen, Tony DeAngelo, on waivers after an altercation with goalie Alexandar Georgiev and alternate captain Chris Kreider.

As good a hockey player as DeAngelo is, his personality was always an issue. While this is the first time I have personally heard a lot of this (I knew he was a Trump supporter, but my Quebecer bias thought a hockey player might have only been a passive supporter or at worst gone "cult-light" unlike, say, the Capitol insurrectionists), it is substancially documented that he has always had issues.

There was a bout of anger after a loss as a youth, an eight-game suspension in the OHL for using racial slurs on a teammate that shed light on the fact that it was at the time his second disciplinary measure in such circumstances, and he's been suspended in the OHL and NHL for (physical) abuse of officials. And the intention to leave Twitter for Parler speaks loudly to his worldview as well.

I don't know how I missed a lot of this. I kept wondering why he wasn't mentioned by the Canadian (and Hockey) media in general, and it felt off that a top-four regular who is among the league leaders in points would be so often overlooked, but I get it now, they were just sweeping it under the rug. I have (at least) three of his cards, so one more to feature here after today's post - and I'm fairly certain no one will take them off my hands even if I don't want them in my collection anymore. I'll have to recycle them as a "teaching tool" for my kids, I guess. And I didn't mention it here today, but even in the NHL, he's been a dick to a Black teammate, K’Andre Miller, so I guess I already know what I'll write about next time.

We'll see how that all develops. Deadspin - which looks intent on calling all hockey players inherently racist while overlooking the fact that skaters from 21 countries and 30 nationalities whose homelands may be dealing with racial issues in ways that differ from the Amerian white/Black/OPOC paradigm form their "white" contingent - are on DeAngelo's case and dug out quotes from his father that show this is how he was probably raised. I'm confident they'll get at the bottom of the story.

Here is today's subject, on card #176 from Fleer's 2016-17 Fleer Showcase set and Hot Prospects Autos sub-set, manufactured by Upper Deck:

It features a blue-sharpied, on-sticker autograph and shows him as a member of the Arizona Coyotes. It is numbered #200/499.

Wild Preview: Mikko Koivu Jersey Card

This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: 2020 is a different beast and requires adaptability; in my case, it means the joint posts with my "main/personal" blog will not be in the "player here/analysis there" format but rather the entire scope of the analysis will take place here and the player will have some sort of direct connection to what's written. Caveats: at this point, despite the season being set to start in Mid-January, several impact players haven't found a team yet and quite a few teams are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much maneuvering left to do.

GM Bill Guerin is reshaping the Minnesota Wild (player links go to other posts on my blog, team links are sponsored by Amazon): gone are Eric Staal, Alex Galchenyuk, Jason Zucker, Devan Dubnyk, Luke Kenin, Ryan Donato and even long-time captain Mikko Koivu, in are Cam Talbot, Marcus Johansson, Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstad, and Dakota Mermis... so far.

What makes their odds look good:
Talbot isn't a bad goalie, he had a Vezina-worthy season in 2016-17 - far enough to doubt, close enough for Wild fans to believe. Kevin Fiala, Mats Zuccarello, Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba are top-unit players, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter still play top-unit minutes, Marco Rossi and Matthew Boldy look like solid prospects and Kirill Kaprizov actually has a fair shot at a Calder Trophy with what he accomplished last season in the KHL (first in goals, third in points, All-Star at age 22, one of a handful of point-per-game players in the entire league).

Question marks:
Other teams have used Johansson as a middle-six forward, the Wild may not have that luxury, and it remains to be seen if he can produce at top-line level. Does Suter start breaking down now taht he's in his mid-30s? Will Parise get injured again? How many young guys steal jobs from veterans with their play?

Outlook:
Minnesota is clearly in a rebuild; Guerin wants veterans he knows and trusts to not disrupt the process and perhaps help win a few games here and there, but this roster is the middle-point in a huge turnover, and it's unclear who will be there three years from now save for Rossi and Boldy. Still, in a top-heavy and shallow West Division, the Wild have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot; they'll battle for fourth place with the Arizona Coyotes.

Prediction:
Fifth in the West Division, a point or two behind Arizona.

There was a loud minority clamoring for Koivu's departure online these past few years, but I've never seen it reflected in the larger realm of Wild fans. Instead, most praised his effort level and two-way (although more and more on the defensive side as the years went on) play and saw him as a fine captain, just perhaps overpaid in the twilight of his career. Because it seems too commonplace in today's NHL, I wasn't exactly shocked when Guerin announced #9 would not even be re-signed as a fourth-line center, but found it sad that a player of his stature who had played his entire career with the team and been the first player in franchise history to hit the 1000 mark (and scoring the shootout winner in the milestone game) would not be allowed to retire in green and red. Here he is wearing the team's original white (home) uniform on card #HM-MK from Fleer's 2007-08 Hot Prospects set and Hot Materials subset, manufactured by Upper Deck:

It features a nice, dark green ame-worn jersey swatch.

I believe he will get along fine with John Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Jeff Tambellini Jersey And Autograph Card

In keeping up with the "matching daily team articles on both blogs" theme, after predicting the Los Angeles Kings would finish 5th in the Pacific in 2017-18, I thought I could focus on the career on one of their former prospects, Jeff Tambellini.

Tambellini was a fine player for the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA and perhaps the best skater in his age category when the Kings made him their first-round pick (27th overall) in 2003; unfortunately, they also viewed him as soft and unreliable defensively, so despite his putting decent numbers up (56 points in 56 games) with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs, they sent him (and Denis Grebeshkov) to the New York Islanders for Brent Sopel and Mark Parrish in March 2006.

While in the Isles' organization, he developed into a fine two-way player, thanks to his speed in coming back in the defensive zone when his team lost possession of the puck. He also further developed his offensive attributes (namely his quick wrists and good, deceptive shot) with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers (138 points in 113 games) but just couldn't stick in the NHL, accumulating 46 points in 176 games on Long Island.

In 2010-11, he tried his luck with the Vancouver Canucks, yielding similar results: 17 points in 62 games when he was up, 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points in 7 games with the Manitoba Moose.

He then tried his hand in Europe, finding some success in the Swiss League with the Zurich Lions (45 points in 50 games in his first season there, 12 in 27 the following year), prompting a downfall that would be consistent save for two fine playoffs and another decent turn in the AHL for good measure:

Courtesy of HockeyDB

As far as I know, he is currently a free agent and would thus be eligible to suit up for Team Canada at the Olympics in February... He does have a silver medal from the 2004 World Juniors...

Here he is dating back to his days with the Kings, wearing their black-and-purple uniform on the "all dressed" version of card #241 from Fleer's 2005-06 Hot Prospects set and Prized Prospects sub-set, manufactured by Upper Deck:

It's got everything a card collector hates, from the blue-sharpied on-sticker autograph to the black swatch (they call this one a "patch" on the back of the card, though I don't see it myself) coming from a jersey used in a rookie photo shoot.

It's numbered 225/349.

Alexander Radulov Jersey card

Coming off a terrific comeback season with the Montréal Canadiens, Alexander Radulov will go from a team that has Jordie Benn in its top-six on defense to the team that got rid of him as their seventh guy but is captained by his brother (Jamie Benn), the Dallas Stars. Indeed, the former Nashville Predators first-round draft pick (15th overall, 2004) has just signed this summer's most lucrative free agent deal, a five-year, $31.5M deal that carries a $6.25M cap hit.

It's a mixed summer for Habs GM Marc Bergevin, as he signed the Washington Capitals' best defensive defenseman (in my opinion, the best of the second-tier guys who do what he does, behind the top-four of Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Marc Methot, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm), but lost his team's best forward last season in Radulov, is playing hardball with one of the organization's best defensemen of all time in Andrei Markov, and looks primed to sign goalie Carey Price to the team's highest-paying contract of all time, likely top in the league by over two million per season (edit: actually by $3M, and since most of the money is in the form of signing bonuses, cannot reasonably be bought out to minimize the cap hit, as signing bonuses are guaranteed money), which will handicap the team's chances of building a contender for eight years. It's like he's hockey's Donald Trump, doing his best to get fired.

Oh, and he followed the league-wide trend of signing veterans to $1M/one-year contracts, but instead of opting for, say,  Michael Cammalleri (Los Angeles Kings), Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks), Scott Hartnell (Predators), Nail Yakupov (Colorado Avalanche), David Desharnais (New York Rangers), Dominic Moore (Toronto Maple Leafs), Kyle Quincey (Minnesota Wild), Jussi Jokinen (Edmonton Oilers), Brandon Bollig (San Jose Sharks), or Benoît Pouliot (Buffalo Sabres), he went for injury magnet Ales Hemsky.

The Stars' Jim Nill, however, is looking to build a contender, after missing the playoffs entirely due to shaky goaltending following a first-place finish in the Central Division. Antti Niemi was bought out, Ben Bishop was brought in via trade-and-sign, and Kari Lehtonen will back him up for one season. The aforementioned Methot was acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the team still boasts Tyler Seguin, Benn and Jason Spezza on offense, in addition to signing Martin Hanzal, who could be Nill's mistake of the summer, as he's shown with the Minnesota Wild last season to be slow and unable to make those playing with him better.

Because of that, I envision the Benn/Seguin first-line pairing to remain intact, I expect Spezza to hit 50-60 points playing with guys who can finish his plays a small portion of the time (Antoine Roussel and Mattias Janmark) and Radulov to take Hanzal on his back and get him to some 40-50 points, which should also get casual fans thinking "Radu" is having a disappointing season while Hanzal's producing at his expected rate, when in fact the Toothless Russian will have carried him all season long. Case in point: Phillip Danault, who I like a lot, but whom Radulov got to the 40-poin mark despite his having never even reached that production level in the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL system and had obtained a grand total of 10 NHL points in his previous 53 NHL games spread over two seasons. Hey, this type of situation made Phil Kessel turn Nick Bonino into a "prized free agent" and two-time Stanley Cup winner...

As a reminder, Radulov is not only one of the hockey players that is most difficult to knock off the puck and an adept playmaker and scorer, but also a two-time World Championship gold medalist with Team Russia (2008 and 2009), a Gagarin Cup winner with Ufa Salavat Yulaev (2011) and Memorial Cup champion with the Québec Remparts (2006), as well as the KHL's second all-time leading scorer behind Sergei Mozyakin.

Here he is wearing the Preds' former home uniform, on card #HM-AR from Fleer's 2007-08 Hot Prospects by Upper Deck:

It features a matching white game-worn jersey swatch.

Pascal Leclaire Jersey Card

If you want to make these current NHL playoffs player-centric, we could go with Pascal Leclaire and how the team that drafted him - the Columbus Blue Jackets - is now eliminated and the team that traded for him - the Ottawa Senators - is still in the running, as the highest seed in the Atlantic Division no less. And neither team existed when I was growing up in the 1980s, if I want to make this Seb-centric.

It's so hard to fathom that Leclaire's been retired since the end of the 2010-11 season and that he's still just 34 years old. Those hip injuries not only took a toll on his body, they ruined the best years of his life.

Sure, he never achieved what an 8th overall pick (2001) is expected to, but no one can take away his two silver medals (2002 World Juniors and 2008 World Championships) with Team Canada, both times falling to Russia.

He played with the Jackets more, so it's fitting that this card shows him wearing their blue (home) uniform:

That's card #HM-PL from Upper Deck's 2007-08 Fleer Hot Prospects set and Hot Materials sub-set, with a matching blue game-worn jersey swatch.

I used to love his TPS pad designs, which you can see a bit of on the card but even better below:

They just seem to be perfect at redirecting pucks to the corner, one of the moves I always try to teach young kids first.

Jared Cowen: 2 Autographed Custom BG Cards

A few years ago, a very friendly trader/collector from Calgary with an extensive Wayne Gretzky collection, KC, sent me a hockey puck signed by Jared Cowen (I don't remember why, probably through one of our many trades), before taking some time out from blogging/posting; unfortunately, I never received it, but I don't doubt for a second that he sent it.

It was at that time that I started following Cowen's career more closely, as I'd only been aware of the giant defenseman through his suiting up for Team Canada at various minor-league competitions, such as his gold- and bronze-winning turns on the U-17 teams in 2008, and his silver medals at the 2010 and 2011 World Juniors, the latter as an alternate captain.

The Ottawa Senators' 9th-overall first round pick in 2009, Cowen now towers at 6'5'' and 230 pounds, which - in my opinion - is the main reason why he was suspended for a hit to the head of the Florida Panthers' Jussi Jokinen; he would have had to get down on his knees to hit him in the chest, the type of move that cost the Cats' Dmitri Kulikov a few games recently himself.

There's something to be said about all these giants getting drafted on defense and how they are sometimes at a disadvantage when it comes to hitting now that the NHL is cracking down on hits to the head to save face for decades of not doing enough to protect players from concussion-related issues. However, with his skill set - good foot speed, a good first pass, the ability to complete checks and extremely sound positioning, particularly at such a young age - he was a no-brainer to be chosen at his rank.

If he could only improve his stick-handling and decision-making with the puck when skating towards opponents (rather than, say, getting rid of the puck along the boards), he could actually develop into more than the #4-D he already is.

He's a nice building block for the Sens, having captained the WHL's Spokane Chiefs and having won the Calder Cup with the Binghamton Senators.

I picked up these two custom cards from Ottawa-area collector BG on Ebay a few years ago, from their 2010-11 Hot Prospects set (and Future Watch sub-set), both signed in blue sharpie and showing him having just been drafted:

The more I think about it, however, the more I think custom cards should find their own sub-set names rather than lift them from major manufacturers - particularly two different ones, as seen here.

Tyler Myers Autographed Custom Card

It's looking to be an exciting week for Tyler Myers, for whom the rumours of trade talks haven't died while he was out with an injury. He figures to get back into the Buffalo Sabres' line-up tonight, against the New Jersey Devils.

The Sabres were on a 10-3-0 roll when he was sidelined, and have gone 1-7-1 since, though they haven't been playing too badly, they just haven't had much puck luck and played far deeper teams.

The top trade contenders for Myers remain the Detroit Red Wings (always on the lookout for both a franchise defenseman, and a right-handed shot from the back end, both needs he would fill) and the Colorado Avalanche (also in need of a right-handed defender, but also a reliable shut-down tower of power, both of which he would check off their want list).

Journalists and bloggers have been going nuts for four years now, talking about how he's regressing since winning the Calder Trophy in 2009-10, yet he will turn 25 next month so he hasn't even entered his ''prime'' years yet, and has been playing in Buffalo, after all, not the ideal place to further one's career and look good in the process.

At 6'8'' and just about 230 pounds, even if he wasn't such a smooth-skating defenseman with a hard shot, there'd still be takers. The biggest knock on him is hit $5.5M cap hit, but that's more the Sabres' fault for giving it to him right away (instead of signing him to a bridge contract) than anything else. If they're willing to trade him, they should really admit their mistake and swallow some of that cap hit.

But honestly, why would they? He's a 6'8'' tower of power that shoots right-handed, plays decently in his own end, and can only improve. He's just a minus-4 this year, facing tough opposition and starting only 37% of his plays in the offensive zone. All the reasons why other teams would want him are reasons enough why the Sabres should keep him in Buffalo.

He's comfortable there, as an American-Canadian playing near the border in a small town, and he's won gold with Team Canada at the World Juniors (2009) and the U-18 (2008) tournaments. He has fallen short on the mens' teams, though, finishing 7th (2010) and 5th (2014) in two World Championships.

We'll see how it pans out, but the rumour mill has been wrong about him for three years now, so chances are he'll remain a Sabre.

That being said, here's what he looked like in the team's old Buffaslug ''futuristic'' blue uniform a few years ago:

It's a custom card I purchased a couple of years ago on Ebay from Ottawa-area collector BG, from their 2010-11 Hot Prospects set (and Future Watch sub-set), signed in blue sharpie. It's a simple design, with ample room for the signature.

Julien Demers Autograph Card

As the San Jose Sharks sent defenseman Jason Demers to the Dallas Stars for Brenden Dillon on Friday, I got to thinking about another defenseman the Sharks had in the pipeline with almost the same name, Julien Demers.

Both were drafted by the Sharks in 2008, 40 spots apart: Julien 146th, and Jason 186th. Julien, however, never played in the NHL despite a promising career in Juniors with the Ottawa 67's, whereas most people who follow hockey are aware of Jason's ability and, perhaps, failings, as the Sharks' blue-line scapegoat.

They are not related. Julien played in two OHL All-Star Games, and captained the 67's in his final year in Juniors, in 2009-10, on a team that also included forward Tyler Toffoli, defensemen Tyler Cuma and Cody Ceci, and Petr Mrazek between the pipes. He was particularly dominant in 2008-09, with 42 points and 60 penalty minutes in 61 games, and an even more impressive 11 assists in 7 playoff games.

I thought he might develop into a good, physical defensive defenseman, a 5th or 6th d-man who would excel shorthanded and might be able to lend a hand on the powerplay once in a while with decent passes, but after playing Juniors, he went by way of the University Of Ottawa, and didn't play in North American professional leagues.

This custom card by Ottawa-area collector BG for his 2010-11 Hot Prospects set / Future Watch sub-set, signed in blue sharpie, might be the last I'll hear of this former prospect:

He's seen wearing what may have been the finest Sharks uniform - apart from the jersey number on the right of the chest, the colour combination and design really is the best thing they've ever had.

Jordan Sigalet Jersey Card

In a post about Andrew Raycroft last week, I mentioned the unevenness of the Boston Bruins' goaltending position since the departures of Andy Moog and Réjean Lemelin in the early 1990s, mentioning they had really good ones that did pan out, some that should have but didn't, and kids they'd burnt out before they got started. I omitted one because I knew he would be the next one up: Jordan Sigalet, whom the Bs drafted out of high school, 209th overall (in the 7th round) in 2001, and who would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a couple of years later, when playing in the NCAA for the Bowling Green (State University) Falcons.

He played with the disease kept secret for a year and a half, but upon going public with it, he garnered widespread support from adversaries and teammates alike; other schools' teams sent signed jerseys, and he was the first goaltender to be named captain at Bowling Green.

He played with the AHL's Providence Bruins for three seasons, posting a .905 save percentage and 2.49 GAA in 81 games - 46 of them wins - earning a call-up with Boston, who had him on the ice for the last minute of a 6-3 win in 2005-06.

It may have been his only NHL appearance, but after having been told he'd have to retire altogether in the near future, it was more than a kid's dream come true, it was beating impossible odds. Josh Harding knows what that's like, now, but Sigalet had no role models to speak of when he was coming up - all he had was his NHL-caliber technique, a decent glove hand, and the strength to battle through anything that would come his way.

After his playing career ended with a stint in Austria with the Vienna Capitals, Sigalet became the goaltending coach of the WHL's Everett Silvertips for two years, then for the AHL's Abbotsford Heat, and after Clint Malarchuk's departure, now holds that position with the Calgary Flames, where he can count on the support of assistant coach Jacques Cloutier, who also held the position back with the Colorado Avalanche's Stanley Cup-winning days.

I don't know if he ever knew he'd make it back to the Big Show, but he has. And the Flames' goalies are playing remarkably well this season.

Here is card #HM-SI from Fleer's 2005-06 Hot Prospects set, from the Hot Materials sub-set, manufactured by Upper Deck, featuring a black swatch from a jersey worn in a photoshoot:

Upper Deck loves to hype their inserts with lines like ''we hope you're happy to hold this part of hockey history in your hands'' and such, but in this case, that's really as close as it gets to having been a part of Sigalet's NHL career.

Brad Winchester Signed Jersey Card

As a fan of the Edmonton Oilers, I do try to keep track of their alumni, particularly those who I thought would be impact players - not necessarily just first-liners, but also players like Brad Winchester, a grinding giant (6'5', and nearly 230 pounds) whose first NHL goal was a playoff game-winner on the road against the top-seeded and heavily-favoured Detroit Red Wings, paving the way to an unsuccessful Stanley Cup run that ended in a bitter Game 7 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

Having played his College Hockey with his hometown University Of Wisconsin Badgers, the Oilers chose Winchester 35th overall in 2000, ahead of Ilya Bryzgalov (44th), Jarret Stoll (46th), Antoine Vermette (55th), Paul Martin (62nd), Lubomir Visnovsky (118th), Travis Moen (155th), Henrik Lundqvist (205th), Matthew Lombardi (215th), and Paul Gaustad (220th), notably.

Apart from two All-Stars chosen late and who, in retrospect, should probably have been taken in the first round, the order seems about right to me.

Winchester hasn't played in the NHL since his stint with the San Jose Sharks ended in 2012, and from a statistial standpoint, it kind of makes sense.

Even in the AHL, his point production is erratic and changes dramatically from one season to the next, and the only time he was a point-per-game player was with the 2005-06 Hamilton Bulldogs, where his 26 goals and 40 points in 40 games came on a stacked team that included not only the Oilers' top prospects but also those of the Montréal Canadiens.

In the NHL, his output could go from 21 points in 64 games (2008-09 St. Louis Blues) to 10 points in 67 games (2011-12 Sharks). Because of his size, he's often put in a fourth-line energy role, and his statistics suffer because of it. That last year in San Jose, he averaged just 7:48 of ice time per game.

At 33 years of age, it would probably be unfair and unwise to expect him to completely turn his career around, but I always believed he could be efficient and get some 25 points per year by playing 10 to 12 minutes per game, with perhaps 30 seconds of second-unit powerplay time once in a while as a sign of appreciation for his efforts, where his job would be to park himself in front of the goalie and maybe get a garbage goal here and there.

The best coaches change their lines often nowadays, and having him hover between the third and fourth lines would probably be the best way to use him in the NHL, where he could hit, provide energy and perhaps fight with the grinders, and maybe produce a little with the checking line.

So far this year with the AHL's Norfolk Admirals (the Anaheim Ducks' affiliate), he has 7 points and 29 penalty minutes in just 11 games. He ranks second on the team in points and assists, and fourth in penalty minutes (they're a very truculent team).

I may now check #26 off my Oilers Numbers Project with this card, from Fleer's 2005-06 Hot Prospects set by Upper Deck:

It's card #238 of the Prized Prospects sub-set, and is numbered 18/50. It shows him wearing the Oilers' white (then-home) turn-of-the-century uniform, with the ''oil driller'' shoulder patch; it features a sticker autograph (signed in blue sharpie) and an orange swatch from a jersey worn in a photo shoot - too bad they placed it right in the chest, hiding the team's logo.

Patrick Thoresen Jersey Card

Patrick Thoresen is a 30-year old, 6-foot tall and 200-pound power forward who can hit, excels at two-way play and has been a point-per-game producer in every professional league, except one. Unfortunately for him, that one exception is the NHL, but he reportedly wants back in, after having been successful everywhere else. Even in the Olympics (5 assists in 4 games with Team Norway in 2010) and World Championships, particularly in 2012, where his 18 points in just 8 games made him the first Norwegian ever to be named on the tournament's All-Star Team.

And he's won the Gagarin Cup in the KHL, and was the league's second-best point-getter, after dominating in Switzerland.

I think he hasn't stuck around with either the Edmonton Oilers or Philadelphia Flyers because he was a victim of his qualities: being so good defensively, he was put in roles where he was in no position to contribute offensively - playing with guys who can't finish nor set up, starting shifts in his own zone against the other team's top forwards, and so forth.

Thoresen's not an A+ at anything, but he's a definite B/B+ at everything. His case has been championed by one particular blogger, in 2012, 2011 and 2010.

He was the first undrafted Norwegian player to suit up in an NHL game, with the Oilers, which is where this card comes in:

It's from Fleer's 2006-07 Hot Prospects set by Upper Deck, and is card #HM-PA of the Hot Materials sub-set, featuring a blue event-worn jersey swatch, while the card shows him with the Oilers' turn-of-the-millenium white (home) uniform, with the ''driller'' shoulder patches.

I would give him a shot in my top-9 any time.

Mark Mancari Autographed Custom Card

I'll take advantage in this break from hockey news and feature another card I purchased off Ebay from an Ottawa-area collector, this time former Ottawa 67s star and current Buffalo Sabres minor league player Mark Mancari:

It's from BG's 2010-11 model of Future Watch / Hot Prospects custom cards. Mancari started slowly in Juniors, but was a point-per-game player in his final two years, prompting the Sabres to select him with the 207th overall pick in 2004. He started off slowly in the AHL as well, but has been a point-per-game player since, earning a few call-ups with the Sabres, and culminating with a 64-point season in 56 games wit the Portland Pirates, earning an AHL First All-Star Team nod in 2010-11.

He then signed a free agent contract with the Vancouver Canucks before returning with Buffalo after just one year.

He is seen here sporting the Sabres' infamous ''buffa-slug'' logo on a white jersey that is otherwise very nice-looking.

Kevin Poulin: 2 Autographed Custom Cards

Like the Jeff Glass and Robin Lehner customs I featured recently, I purchased these BG-branded custom cards from a (mostly) Ottawa Senators collector on Ebay. They are labeled as both Future Watch (a sub-set of Upper Deck's SP Authentic series) and Hot Prospects (a Fleer staple), and show Kevin Poulin wearing his draft-day New York Islanders jersey.

They were signed in blue sharpie in the 2010-11 season, one in which he faced the Sens twice. Those with good eyes will notice they contain an error: the team's name is listed as 'Ney York', which brings me back to the first season of Pro Set cards, where nearly a third of the cards had something wrong with them - usually a spelling mistake or the wrong picture on the front of the card.

Isles fans are psyched about their future in net with Poulin. The Montrealer has a career record of 7-9-0 in 21 games in parts of three seasons in the NHL (with the Isles, mind you), to go with a 2.76 GAA and .912 save percentage. In two relief appearances in the playoffs this month, he allowed just one goal in 52 total minutes, for a 1.15 GAA and a .933 save %. His AHL numbers are astounding as well. The Isles should be very excited about the guy they picked 126th overall (5th round) in 2008.

Robin Lehner Autographed Custom Card

Not that any of it was Craig Anderson's fault, but coach Paul MacLean made a goaltending change at 3-1 that almost paid off, putting Robin Lehner in nets against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Lehner's been touted as the Ottawa Senators' goalie of the future ever since he was drafted 46th overall in 2009, but his impatience (and perhaps also ego) has made the papers as often as his play. That was likely one of the reasons why the Sens acquired Ben Bishop at last year's deadline. Still, his talent is undeniable. At 6'4'', 225lbs, with a World Juniors silver medal (on a relatively weak Team Sweden) and an AHL playoffs MVP title, he shares a minor-league resume with some goalies who get drafted in the top-5 - which is probably why the Sens felt comfortable trading Bishop at this year's deadline.

Like the Jeff Glass card from earlier this week, I purchased this piece from a Senators collector on Ebay recently:

With a white background, the design is once again pretty basic, reminiscent of Upper Deck's SP Authentic line of products, using both its Future Watch and Fleer's Hot Prospects sub-set names for BG as the ''pretend'' manufacturer. I date this card from the 2010-11 season because it features Lehner sporting the Elitserien's Frölunda Indians uniform, meaning there weren't available pictures from his days with either Ottawa or the Binghamton Senators. It's signed in blue sharpie, with his jersey number with the Sens (40) tagged at the end. The abundance of white leaves ample room for the signature, so that's good thinking on BG's part.

Milan Hejduk Autographed Card

One sub-story that was a bit looked over this week when Gabriel Landeskog became the youngest captain in NHL history this week was that it meant Milan Hejduk was relinquishing his title, after having been the third in Colorado Avalanche history, after Joe Sakic and Adam Foote.

Hejduk's reasoning behind his decision was that after failing to reach the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career (after 12 consecutive seasons of doing so), he felt his role had diminished on the team, and he felt someone playing on the ''top two lines'' should deserve to lead the team.

My thoughts on this?

1. It proves he is a good leader
2. When Foote was the Avs' captain after a run with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he was no longer an elite player either...

Nonetheless, he remains an assistant captain (with Paul Stastny) and will be there to pick up the mantle should Landeskog get injured.

This is card #25 in Fleer's 2005-06 Hot Prospects, set manufactured by Upper Deck. He signed it in thin black sharpie a few years ago at a pre-season game between the Avs and the Montréal Canadiens held at the Avs' former home, the Québec Colisée Pepsi. With Tim Thomas on hiatus, Hejduk is officially the only Québec Nordiques draft pick (1994, 87th overall) still playing in the NHL.

I'll try to write him this year to get him to sign cards with other Avs uniforms, including their current third jersey.

Andrew Alberts: 3 Jersey Cards

Andrew Alberts was in the news this week, for having been sucker-punched by the Philadelphia Flyers' Jody Shelley, resulting in Shelley being suspended for the NHL-habitual two games. It marks the second time Alberts misses a long period after being injured by a Flyer, as he was limited to 35 games in 2007-08 after a nasty hit by Scott Hartnell, who received... a two-game suspension.

Ironically enough, Alberts played for the Flyers in 2008-09 and had his career-best season patrolling their blue line, with 13 points; he also accumulated 61 penalty minutes that season, his second-highest career total, behind his 2006-07 campaign of 124 penalty minutes while playing for the Boston Bruins.

He has also twice represented Team USA at the World Championships, both times playing in 7 games, both times accumulating 1 point and 14 penalty minutes, for a record of 1-1-2 and 28 PIMs in 14 international games.

All 3 of these cards are from photo shoots and were manufactured by Upper Deck for the 2005-06 season; what I like the most about them is that between them, I have all three colours of the Bruins' jersey: black, yellow, and white/yellow. The card on top is from the 2005-06 Hot Prospects set, Hot Materials sub-set, and is card #HM-AA, licensed for use by Fleer. The card in the middle is from the 2005-06 Upper Deck Series 2 set, the Rookie Threads insert set (card #RT-AA); there is an autograph variant, but I have never seen it. Finally, the card on the bottom is from the 2005-06 Fleer Ultra set, the Rookie Uniformity sub-set, and is card #RU-AA.

Maxim Lapierre Hot Materials Jersey Card

In the first game of the Montréal Canadiens / Washington Capitals game, the Caps were dominating in the first period, shooting 19 times on Jaroslav Halak, so when coach Jacques Martin needed to turn the tide around, he sent Maxim Lapierre's line out to do some damage - and they did just that.

Within seconds, the Caps were stuck in their own end, unable to withstand the pressure and in need of catching-glove heroics by José Théodore to keep the game close.

Needless to say, not only am I hoping for more of the same tonight, I hope Martin doesn't release the gritty speedster for less than a minute in the first period like he did two nights ago.

This 2005-06 Hot Prospects card (#HM-ML of the Hot Materials insert sub-set) by Fleer (or, technically, by Upper Deck) incorporates a pretty big swatch off the Habs' red (now home, then away) jersey and was taken from a photo shoot. Here's what Fleer had to say about it on the back of the card:

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have received a Maxim  Lapierre Jersey trading card from Fleer LLC. On the front of this card is an authentic piece of a jersey worn by Maxim Lapierre in a photo shoot. We hope you enjoy this piece of hockey history as we at Fleer continue to keep you as close as you can get!

Yes, you read correctly: hockey history. Feels good, doesn't it?

Christoph Schubert Autograph Card

Christoph Schubert represents a new breed of player brought forth by the New NHL: a skilled player who is not quite of top-line caliber, but better than any checker on his team, so he is asked to play his original position (in Schubert's case, defense) as often as he is asked to contribute elsewhere (winger), in place of someone less skilled.

Ironically, for the moment, these players come relatively cheap, usually nearing the average salary, so in a cap era, come trade time, they are worth more than some star players. That is, of course, until the player himself becomes a highly-paid star, as is now the case with Mark Streit.

Unfortunately, Schubert now plays for the Atlanta Thrashers, where his fine play goes largely unnoticed by most of the hockey world, fans and media alike, case in point: despite having been a member of Germany's 2006 Olympic team, he didn't make the cut for the 2010 edition, despite there being only 7 NHLers on the roster - and many of them being role or reserve players with their respective teams.

Before being claimed off waivers by the Thrashers, Schubert had been an integral part of the Ottawa Senators for half a decade. In the team's skills competition, he is the second-hardest shot in team history (behind Zdeno Chara, of course) with a shot clocked at over 100 mph; he has also achieved first place in the puck-control relay portion.

This card is from Fleer's 2005-06 Hot Prospects set (card #208), the Prized Prospects sub-set, manufactured by Upper Deck, and is serial numbered 207/999. It consists of a blue sharpie autograph on a sticker that was later apposed to the card, in which he is sporting the beautiful, old-model Sens' white jersey.