My 2016-17 Artifacts Redemptions

At the beginning of the season, I picked up two boxes of 2016-17 Upper Deck Artifacts. Of those two boxes, I pulled a total of 3 redemptions. Now, these weren't the typical ones where the athlete hasn't found the time to sign, but the ones where the released the product before the new athletes played in an NHL game, and thus couldn't have a hockey card until they do.

Anyway, truth be told, I set my redemptions aside and forgot about them until a couple of weeks ago. By the time I entered them in, they had already been produced, so it wasn't long at all before they were on their way.

Anyway, here is what I got back:

First up is what I got in return for an Emerald Jersey Patch card of "Rookie V."

While there was no telling who the card would be of early on, it ended up being of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. IT is numbered 85/99 and the cool thing about Blue Jackets sweaters is that they have some great patch pieces, like this one, which appears to be from the point of the star on the upper right corner.

Next, is what I got for my Chaicago Blackhawks Rookie:

This one is of Tyler Motte, and in numbered 496/799. As a University of North Dakota Hockey fan, I was hoping it would be Nick Schmaltz, but maybe Motte will turn out to be a great player, as well. He split time between the NHL and AHL last season, but didn't make an appearance in the playoffs.

Lastly, is one that I thought was lackluster, but turned out to be pretty great, a "Wild Card" redemption.

The wild cards are designed for teams who have more than one big-time rookie on their roster. I hit big with this one, too, getting a card of Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner, numbered 495/799. Despite a lot of hype for him coming into this season, Marner gets a wild card spot, because he is on the same team with #1 overall pick Auston Matthews. He still had a great first year, though, scoring 19 goals and 42 assists in 77 games. The wild cards are sometimes more miss than hit, but in this case, I got a good one.

That's it for this year in Artifacts. I'll see what 2017-18 brings, but as the first mid-range product of the season, I'll definitely pick up a box or two when it gets released in the fall.