The Encore: Panini America Peeks Thrilling Return of 2012-13 Prime Hockey (Gallery)

The resounding repercussions of last season’s spectacular debut edition of Prime Hockey still are being felt in hobby shops across North America every time a new box gets busted. Seemingly every break of the juggernaut product delivers at least one collection-making monster of a card. Indeed, the attention-commanding performance of Panini America’s 2011-12 Prime Hockey left some massive skates to fill for 2012-13’s heavily anticipated follow-up.

And Panini America’s NHL Product Development team is ready to fill them with the kinds of bells, whistles and improvements that just might necessitate even bigger skates this time next season.

Releasing in late August, 2012-13 Prime Hockey once again will deliver an unparalleled selection of jaw-dropping game-worn memorabilia cards featuring prime pieces of team logos, player numbers and commemorative patches. But Panini America officials will continue to push the envelope by incorporating prime pieces of game-worn skates and gloves, too.

But perhaps the most intriguing new development for 2012-13 Prime Hockey is the addition of a special two-card Dominion pack inside each five-card Prime pack.

So, if you’re counting at home (and we know you are), each pack of 2012-13 Prime Hockey will include: one Prime base card, one Prime Rookie Autograph Quad Memorabilia Jersey, one autograph, one memorabilia card, one additional autograph, memorabilia or low-numbered parallel card, one Dominion base card and one Dominion autograph patch card, memorabilia card or Engravatures.

Other product highlights include . . .

• The return of Prime Ties (an insert Yahoo!’s popular Puck Daddy blog called “among the coolest hockey cards ever”) and Prime Colors, featuring the most colorful patch cards in hockey-card history
• Prime Rookies Quad Memorabilia Autograph cards featuring rare Jumbo Patch and 1/1 NHL Shield variations
• All-new game-worn glove and skate memorabilia cards featuring oversized 1/1 versions
• Prime Signatures, Dual Signatures and Triple Signatures featuring NHL superstars from the past and present
• The possibility of Dominion Rookie Autograph Patch cards, Dominion Engravatures and Dominion Peerless Patches in each two-card bonus Dominion pack

We’ll have a wealth of additional sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes access as 2012-13 Prime Hockey comes to fruition in the next few months right here on The Knight’s Lance. But for now, here’s a drool-worthy sneak peek to tide you over until then.