Through a provision in the AHL and ECHL Collective Bargaining Agreements, the PHPA receives an allotment of team trading card sets from each team that chooses to produce a card set. These sets are then sold in the PHPA online store, providing collectors with an opportunity to own rare and unique hockey cards of some of the game’s hottest prospects in their AHL or ECHL uniform.
Given that close to 90% of current NHL players first developed in the American Hockey League, many NHL players indeed have a card of them in their AHL uniform.
“A lot of the sets we receive are hot sellers and fly off the shelf as there is only a limited quantity available. We are fortunate to be able to deliver these rare sets to collectors as they make quite the unique item,” said Darryl Dionne, Director of Communications and Business Development for the PHPA.
Some of the team sets received by the PHPA were used as fan giveaways to the first i.e. 1000 fans who enter the arena on a given night. Fans and collectors who weren’t able to attend that specific game will have a hard time obtaining one of those sets. However, once the PHPA receives their designated allotment, those sets are posted to the PHPA Shopzone until quantities last. Once they are gone, they are gone.
So far this season, available team sets have included the St. John’s Ice Caps, Ontario Reign, Binghamton Senators, Toledo Walleye, Hartford Wolf Pack, Springfield Falcons, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Indy Fuel, and Manchester Monarchs with plenty more to come.
For years, the AHL produced an annual Top Prospects set featuring 50 – 75 of the League’s hottest stars. Now, Upper Deck, the leader in the trading card industry, produces an annual 150-card AHL set complete with player autographs, logo patches, and more. The 2015-16 set is scheduled to hit store shelves later this spring, and yes, the PHPA will be selling them in their online store as well.
In addition to trading card sets, the PHPA also sells branded merchandise such as polo shirts, workout shorts, hats, toques, and even bottle opener pucks. Most items were provided to players during the Fall Enrollment Tour or at the PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives, with excess inventory posted to the PHPA Shopzone.
If you would like to be notified when new team card sets are available for purchase, please send an email with your name to web@phpa.com.
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