Steven Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and Tampa Bay put on a massive marketing campaign via their 'Seen Stamkos?' website. Although he arrived with great fanfare, Stamkos was heavily criticized for his lack of scoring during the first half of the season and was limited to 10 minutes or less of ice time in many games. In turn, his place in collector's hearts took a downturn as well. Many of his cards suffered on secondary markets and Steve Mason stole the fire of the 08-09 rookie season. Many collectors were wondering if this was all that Stamkos had to offer. Box breaks featuring Stamkos' RCs did not draw much excitement nor did his lacklustre 46 point season.
What many collectors missed out on was that Stamkos finished the season on an impressive run, with 19 points in his final 20 games. He continued to play well at the 2009 IIHF World Championships, combining with fellow Tampa Bay forward Martin St. Louis for 7 goals, 11 points and a plus 9 plus/minus rating. Stamkos has continued this fine play into the 2009-10 season with 6 points in his first 5 games. It's time to take notice again before it's too late and the deals are gone.
Upper Deck Series One 2008-09 containing Stamkos Young Gun RCs is out now and available at Canada Card World
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