Prime-Time Preview: Panini America Offers Pre-Ink Peek at 2013-14 Prime Hockey

It’s been something of a hardcore hockey collector’s dream day here at Panini America. It started with daylong Twitter coverage of the 2013-14 Playbook Hockey packout from NHL Brand Manager Chris Barr and then continued with our first extended sneak peek at the upcoming 2013-14 Rookie Anthology Hockey. Now, the dream’s about to get even sweeter.

Late yesterday afternoon, Panini America HQ was on the receiving end of a most prime delivery; a hot-off-the-presses shipment so cool that it mandated immediate attention. Inside those seemingly nondescript cardboard boxes? Only some of the coolest trading card specimens you’ll ever lay eyes on, even in their as-yet-unsigned state. The cards — in this case Prime Rookies Patch and 1/1 NHL Shield parallels — will soon enough headline the June release of 2013-14 Prime Hockey.

But after looking at the 75 or so images that follow, we think you’ll agree that not showing these to you as quickly as possible would be borderline criminal. So enjoy these beauties in their unsigned state. The next time you see them, they’ll be graced with on-card autographs.