Sports trading card company Upper Deck has announced a new partnership with the PWHL to produce both physical and digital playing cards for collectors.
The Carlsbad, CA based organization now becomes the first officially licensed sports card and collectibles company associated with the newly launched women’s professional hockey league.
“Upper Deck’s unparalleled expertise in sports collectibles makes them an ideal partner as we continue to build our community,” said Amy Scheer, Senior Vice President of Business Operations, PWHL. “Together, we will elevate the visibility of the PWHL, inspiring fans around the world to embrace the passion of our game and connect with stars of our league.”
“This collaboration represents a shared commitment to advancing hockey and providing opportunities for all athletes to excel on and off the ice,” said McKenzie Young, Marketing Lead, Upper Deck. “We’re enthusiastic about championing the growth of women’s hockey and inspiring the next generation of both athletes and collectors.”
While digital trading cards of players such as Emily Clark (PWHL Ottawa), Kendall Coyne Schofield (PWHL Minnesota), Savannah Harmon (PWHL Ottawa), Hilary Knight (PWHL Boston), Sarah Nurse (PWHL Toronto), Marie-Philip Poulin (PWHL Montréal), Abby Roque (PWHL New York), and Natalie Spooner (PWHL Toronto) are currently available, physical copies of the cards are expected to ship later this year to local card shops.
The move strengthens Upper Deck’s position as the premier hockey card manufacturer in the industry, as the company also holds exclusive rights to the NHL & NHLPA properties on the men’s side as well. A market they’ve largely dominated since 1990, and became the exclusive rights holder of in 2014-15.
The trading card industry has seen a massive shake up in recent years with organizations such as Collector’s Universe, and Fanatics gobbling up smaller companies to monopolize the collectibles sector across the 4 major North American sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL). With Upper Deck now dipping their toe into the women’s game, they’re essentially following suit with what organizations such as Panini have done with the WNBA and their Prizm series.
While no official release date has been provided for when collectors can get their hands on physical packs of cards, Upper Deck insinuated that additional digital releases could be on their way later this season.
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.