Jonathan Bernier Swatch Card

Jonathan Bernier kind of requested a trade last summer, when the Los Angeles Kings signed Jonathan Quick to a long-term contract pretty much ensuring he would be a second-stringer if he remained in L.A. He did retract himself when the season started, though, but not before winning the Spengler Cup with a stacked Team Canada in Switzerland during the lock-out and demonstrating he can, indeed, tend the nets on a daily basis in the NHL.

He has had a lot of success at lower levels: he was the LHJMQ playoff MVP in 2007, was drafted in the first round (11th overall) in 2006, played in the AHL All Star Game, and won the AHL best goalie award, the Baz Bastien trophy.

He shows a lot of promise, but has yet to impose himself as the go-to guy in the big show. Unfortunately for him, 50 goalies are drafted each year by NHL teams, from 30-some different leagues, and there are only 30 starters in the NHL... time is inevitably running out. He could end up having a career similar to that of Martin Biron, which is very respectable, just not star(ter) material.

This photo shoot-worn black swatch comes from Upper Deck's 2007-08 Series 2 set (card #RM-JB, part of the Rookie Materials sub-set). I almost always like the Kings' uniforms, and this one was pretty cool.