2017-18 Parkhurst Hockey Blaster Pack

I was excited to see a Beckett post this week that 2017-18 Parkhurst hockey was trickling into stores.  There was no immediate word on distribution information but by Friday we found out that it is a Walmart only release, available in both the United States and Canada. 

Beckett.com - 2017-18 Parkhurst Hockey Arrives at Walmart

The good news is that I was able to find a blaster at one store Friday evening.  The bad news is that I've visited three locations and only found the one blaster.  I want more, but I have enough to give you a look at the product. 

If you do the research and understand what Parkhurst is, you won't be disappointed in the product.  If you ARE disappointed, it's your failure as a consumer.  Each pack I opened contained one parallel or insert, just like last season.  I won't post the box, but I present to you one pack from my blaster.

2017-18 Parkhurst #42 Victor Rask (front)

2017-18 Parkhurst #42 Victor Rask (back)

2017-18 Parkhurst #123 Shea Weber

2017-18 Parkhurst #194 Tomas Hertl

2017-18 Parkhurst #180 Sidney Crosby

2017-18 Parkhurst #222 Henrik Sedin

2017-18 Parkhurst Black #275 Clayton Keller

My non-base card from this pack was a very good one.  The black parallels are the more scarce of the two at one per blaster.  Clayton Keller is one of the top rookies from the set and I couldn't be more thrilled (unless I'd pulled an Alex DeBrincat). 

2017-18 Parkhurst #172 Shane Gostisbehere

2017-18 Parkhurst #261 J.T. Compher

2017-18 Parkhurst #231 James Neal

Game-action shots of Golden Knights players will excite some.  I honestly have Golden Knights fatigue already, as the NHL Network and most media outlets are shoving them down our throats.  I also listen to the "Puck Podcast" weekly and it seems like they spend at least 15 minutes a show talking about them.  If I didn't plan to work on the set, I might have set this card ablaze.  James Neal is complete garbage. 

2017-18 Parkhurst #297 Logan Brown

There you have it.  Nothing shiny or autographed in the pack but if that's what you're after, Parkhurst hockey isn't for you.  It's a low-end, set-builder's set.  My only criticism is the set size going from 400 cards last season to 300 this season.  I liked the bigger set that gave us cards of more players.  What I would love to see Upper Deck do is a FULL set, like Topps Total or Upper Deck 40-Man from years past. 

If you've made it this far and are interested in Parkhurst, I'll have a full blaster review on my personal blog I Feel Like A Collector Again in the next few days.  You can follow APTBNL on twitter at @namedlater and me at @beansbcardblog.  Happy collecting!