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NEWARK, N.J. — On a marathon Sunday inside an at-times uproarious Prudential Center, the 2013 NHL Entry Draft unfolded before a packed, passionate and partisan Devils crowd that watched more than 200 new players became part of the NHL’s bright future. All the while, in the relative obscurity of an auxiliary dressing room in the Prudential Center bowels, Panini America’s makeshift studio was one of the first places each draftee visited shortly after walking off the main stage.
One by one, new draftees — No. 1 pick Nathan MacKinnon and more than 35 others — made their way into the room to meet Panini America officials, take photos and sign their first Panini America autographs — on special 203 NHL Draft Tickets (which will be available through an upcoming promotion), on pucks and on hats. And before he left, each new star made an impression.
Luckily, most of those impressions were captured by Panini America photographer Ric Fogel, who spent roughly one minute with each player snapping pics in rapid-fire fashion. Below, we present a must-see gallery of the 30 first-rounders from yesterday, who proudly donned their new NHL uniforms for the first time.
If you missed any of yesterday’s action, be sure to check out the Panini America Twitter feed for tons of behind-the-scenes pics.
Enjoy this first-look gallery and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional coverage from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After all, while a dedicated team of Panini America folks was handling things in the player room (Alex Carbajal, Chris Reed, Elizabeth Abundiz, Jim Stefano, Tracy Hackler), Scott Prusha was manning the Panini America booth up on the main concourse, engaging fans and collectors during a daylong 2012-13 Rookie Anthology Hockey wrapper redemption.
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