2009-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects Hockey
2009-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects Hockey is a quality mid-range product!
Set Features;
2009-10 Heroes & Prospects Product Highlights: 18 packs / 9 cards per pack* Authentic Game-Used Memorabilia Cards 1:8 packs** Autograph Cards 1:8 packs** Non-Memorabilia Insert Cards 1:8 packs ** * eight base cards plus one decoy card or game-used memorabilia card **insert ratios are based on the entire production run and are not guaranteed in any individual box or case
Here's what we pulled in our box of 2009-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects Hockey.
Since the 2004-05 season, ITG Heroes and Prospects has become a hobby favorite. These are some very well designed cards that have all of the elements that you would need on front and back. The front has the players name and team along with the ITG logo and Heroes and Prospects. All of this information is packed at the bottom of the card, which lets the player stand out more than most designs I have seen. The back has a short bio along with interesting information about the player from the previous year.
There are several subsets in the 150 base card set.
We pulled all (4) of the Hockey Hero subset that includes;
- 1 Elmer Lach Hero
- 2 Ted Lindsay Hero
- 3 Larry Kwong Hero
- 4 Ted Kennedy Hero
We pulled all (4) of the International Prospect subset that includes;
- 5 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- 6 Jacob Josefson
- 7 Dmitry Kulikov
- 8 Mikkel Boedker
There is an AHL Grad set of (15) and we pulled (14) of them. We only missed on card 9 Kevin Bieksa. Of the (10) card AHL Rookies, we only missed card 61 of Jonathon Blum. Lastly, of the (10) card CHL Rookies, we only missed card 150 of Shane McColgan.
2009-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects Hockey also comes complete some very nice insert sets. Among the insert sets are;
- 2009 Calder Cup Winners
- 2009 Memorial Cup Winners - we pulled 1
- 2010 Draft Picks, including an exciting redemption element - was hoping for one of these
- AHL All-Star Classic Legends
- Enforcers - AHL’s best pugilists
- Real Heroes - we pulled 1
He Shoots, He Scores Decoy / Redemption Card Program is back again for 2009-10. For every pack of hockey cards that does not have a memorabilia card inside an extra thick redemption decoy card, valued at one point, will be inserted. Once 200 points are accumulated hockey card collectors can redeem them for unique and limited edition memorabilia hockey cards.
This is how collation should be on every box you buy. We only missed on (10) cards from completing the entire base set of (150). And, we didn't pull any duplicates either. This is a
93% completion ratio of the 150 card base set from one box. Almost unheard of nowadays.
Game-Used Cards;
Each year, the CHL holds major events to showcase their talent and In The Game has acquired jerseys from these games to ensure that collectors can obtain jerseys that have historical significance. This season, look for the SUBWAY SUPER SERIES and Top Prospects Game. Each SUBWAY SUPER SERIES game-used memorabilia card comes with Black, Silver or Gold foil stamping.
We pulled a fantastic looking Heroes and Prospects Subway Super Series - Jersey Silver card of Linden Vey. This isn't just a normal jersey piece, this is a really nice swatch of red and black that just bulges off of the card face on the front. I would have liked to have seen numbering on these, as I think it would have really been a better set with numbering.
Autographed Cards;
Getting a player’s signature before he hits the NHL, is a thrill for many collectors and In The Game brings this excitement home with its Autograph collection. We pulled autographs of Marco Scandella of the CHL Val D'Or Foreurs and Taylor Doherty of the CHL Kingston Frontenacs. Both autographs are superb in condition and without bubbling or breaks. They look to be on card at first glance, they are stickers, but they don't detract from the card in general as then blend in well. Lastly, we got lucky and pulled another autograph in our box. This is a jersey and auto silver version of Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers. There is a nice large two colored jersey piece to compliment the card and really make it stand out.
Final Thoughts on 2009-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects Hockey;
2009-10 ITG Heroes and Prospects has won me over. First you get (4) hits in the box guaranteed, and then you almost get a complete set too (93% completion). All of the premium cards are high-quality in my book. The patch card is a genuine bulging piece of game used jersey and the 2 colors and the stitching make it a premium piece. The autographed cards as stated above are great in design and the jersey autograph is a top notch collector piece as well. I remember back in the day on another site where members said that Hockey has the best game-used cards in the industry. Going by this break I would now tend to agree. I would have liked the two jersey cards to be numbered. There aren't a lot of different inserts, but getting only a few in a box would make it hard to complete a set without help on a trading site. This is a hot product right now, so the prices aren't that different online or in the LCS. These boxes can usually be had for between $74 and $79 on most sites that I have checked.
Here's how I would rate this product;
- Value = 5
- Innovation = 4
- Fun and Experience = 5
- Rebuy Value = 5
I rate this product an "A" for ITG!
NPN Information;
No NPN
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I would like to thank ITG (In The Game) and Trader Retreat for giving me the opportunity to review this new product.
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