The Upper Deck hockey team landed in Toronto late last night to start preparations for the 2011 NHLPA Rookie Showcase. 26 NHL star rookies will participate in a private signing with Upper Deck today, capturing their autos on card product, pucks and other items that we’ll be sharing with fans in the near future.

WELCOME TO THE NHL: Upper Deck is all set up in Toronto, ready for the 2011 NHL rookie class to put their ink on some UD cards and memorabilia!

The group will be heading over to the MasterCard Centre tomorrow for a full day of on-ice action. We’ll be running these guys through the full Upper Deck gauntlet (and sharing it all with you!) with exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, fun videos, trick shots and even more autos.

Here’s the full list of the all-star rookie line up that we’ll be spending the next 2 days with:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers)
Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche)
Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
Adam Larsson (New Jersey Devils)
Ryan Strome (New York Islanders)
Jake Allen (St. Louis Blues)
Carter Ashton (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Simon Despres (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Cody Eakin (Washington Capitals)
Ryan Ellis (Nashville Predators)
Tim Erixon (New York Rangers)
Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricanes)
Jake Gardiner (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Blake Geoffrion (Nashville Predators)
Brandon Gormley (Phoenix Coyotes)
Adam Henrique (New Jersey Devils)
Zack Kassian (Buffalo Sabres)
Carl Klingberg (Winnipeg Jets)
Marcus Kruger (Chicago Blackhawks)
John Moore (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Greg Nemisz (Calgary Flames)
Aaron Palushaj (Montreal Canadiens)
David Rundblad (Ottawa Senators)
Jussi Rynnas (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Brendan Smith (Detroit Red Wings)
Mika Zibanejad (Ottawa Senators)

Check back for more details on this week’s exciting event…for now enjoy some of the first shots of this exciting event:

SIGN HERE PLEASE: The rookies head down the line contributing their signature to some beautiful group signed helmets.

READY TO GO: Signed labels ready to make their way to their trading cards and eventually the hands of lucky collectors in future UD products!

WELCOME TO THE BIGS, KID: Washington Capitals rookie Cody Eakin shows off his autographed puck.