Panini Peek Preview Gallery: 2011-12 Panini Contenders Hockey (11 Must-See Images)

November 29, 2011

Panini America Product Development Director Karvin Cheung just left the marketing office. But before he did, I asked him for a quick assessment of 2011-12 Panini Contenders Hockey, the collecting flagship that will return for its second NHL season on February 15.

Cheung’s first take, without missing a beat or a sip of his coffee: “It’s all about the content. This set has unique content that has never been seen before in a Contenders product, including booklet cards seeded one per case.” But as you’re about to find out, those booklet cards are just the tip of the ice rink.

Now as always, the Contenders brand remains entrenched in autographed roots, and 2011-12 Panini Contenders Hockey will deliver between three and four of them per box, including at least one hard-signed Calder Contenders Rookie Card. In fact, every autograph in 2011-12 Playoff Contenders will be hard-signed with the exception of the product’s unique booklet cards.

Many of those hard-signed autographs will come from the NHL Ink insert that includes single-, dual- and triple-signed on-card autographs honoring the game’s best rookies, current stars and legends.

Other can’t-miss new bells and whistles . . .

  • Three unique booklet inserts — Contenders Match-Ups, Original Six Combos and Starting Lineups — each featuring up to six autographs from the NHL’s most collectible stars
  • Calder Contenders Auto Patches featuring on-card signatures and oversized prime swatches from top rookies including such as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Joe Colborne and many more
  • Two short-printed, serial-numbered subsets — Contenders Legacies and Cup Contenders — providing set-builders with an exciting chase element
  • A case-hit roster that includes two Calder Cup Contenders Gold Auto Patches, one Calder Contenders Auto Patch, two Calder Signature Patches, 20 Calder Contenders Signatures, one NHL Ink Duals and one booklet card featuring up to six superstar autographs

Enjoy the exclusive first look at 2011-12 Panini Contenders Hockey below and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for updated information on this exciting product.