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Upper Deck Hockey

When Upper Deck entered the hockey card market for the 1990-91 season, they utilized similar design components and printing technology that had made their debut in baseball cards so successful while revolutionizing the trading card marketplace. Relying on professional photography, a comprehensive checklist and anti-counterfeiting measures, hockey collectors were treated to a brand that would become a staple in the hobby for years to come.

As the Upper Deck Hockey brand evolved over the years, noticeable changes to the design of the base set included the use of full bleed photography, forgoing the traditional border that would surround the player photo. The incorporation of the use of foil in the card’s lettering was also a well received change to the brand that provided a more dynamic appearance. Those design elements are still an important part of the defining characteristics of the brand. While the design of the cards has evolved over time, one constant remained; Upper Deck Hockey cards became the brand for hockey rookie cards.

Young Guns Rookie Cards

The early formative years of Upper Deck Hockey coincided with the rise of some of the most talented and prolific players of their era.The proliferation of exorbitantly high print runs during the early ’90’s translates to inexpensive rookie cards from the likes of; Rob Blake, Eddie Belfour, Mike Modano, Mike Richter, Jaromir Jagr, Curtis Joseph, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, Niklas Lidstrom, Peter Forsberg, Dominik Hasek and many, many more. The sophomore version of the brand saw the first usage of the term Young Guns. This moniker was desginated for top prospect rookies in the form of a subset. Years later, in the 1999-00 product release, this name would become the standard bearer for all future rookie cards and to this day, Young Guns are synonymous with hockey rookie cards.

The 2005-06 season installment of Upper Deck Hockey yielded a dual rookie class that included future super stars Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, both of which made our list of the Top 10 Young Gun Rookie Cards of All-Time. The most recent NHL strike also gave way to a strong selection of 2012-13 Upper Deck Young Guns rookie cards.

By this point, Upper Deck Hockey’s product configuration had given rise to a very successful formula in that the seeding of the popular Young Guns rookie cards were seeded at a rate of six per box. This short printing of the most desirable cards of the base set insured that despite not having the bells and whistles of autographs, serial numbering or game used memorabilia, that these cards achieved and maintained real value as base rookies. This practice also insured that sales of the Upper Deck Hockey brand continuously leads the market compared to other competing brands.

Upper Deck Hockey Card Sets

Browse our database of Upper Deck Hockey card sets which feature product reviews, set checklists, expert analysis, price comparisons and more.

2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

Featuring new designs and inserts, the NHL flagship collecting season gets underway with 2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey. Each Hobby box includes six Young Guns rookie cards.

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2018-19 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey continues the Young Guns line for another NHL season. These popular rookie cards are joined by many parallels and inserts in the flagship release.

2016-17 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2016-17 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2016-17 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey helps bring in the new collecting year with the popular Young Guns and a mix of limited inserts and parallels. Young Guns average six per box.

2015-16 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2015-16 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2015-16 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey sticks largely with what’s worked in the past and made it the sport’s most popular release. Young Guns rookie cards highlight the product and fall six per hobby box.

2014-15 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards

2014-15 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards

2014-15 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey carries on where the first set left off. Hobby boxes have six Young Guns rookie cards with Jonathan Drouin and Andre Burakovsky among the available players.

2014-15 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2014-15 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2014-15 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey marks the card maker’s 25th anniversary on the ice. Highlights include Young Guns rookie cards, die-cut acetate inserts and stamped buybacks.

2013-14 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards

2013-14 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards

2013-14 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey fills in the gaps from the first set, offering more rookies and veterans in updated uniforms. Hobby boxes have six Young Guns and a pair of memorabilia cards.

2013-14 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2013-14 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2013-14 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey puts the double-rookie class on display with six Young Guns per box. Other box highlights include a pair of jersey cards and several basic inserts.

2012-13 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2012-13 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

Traditions can morph and evolve, but they rarely change completely. 2012-13 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey sticks with the traditions that have made it one of the most collected sets in the hobby. Led by the familiar and always desirable Young Guns, the release continues to balance collectibility and attainability.

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Cards

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey cards details, card gallery, highlights and other information. The set is bursting with rookie cards, offering six Young Guns per box as well as updates for Victory, O-Pee-Chee and MVP.

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Cards

2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey keeps the popular base set formula including short printed Young Guns rookie cards. Game-used jerseys fall two per box while autographs are just one per case.

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 2 picks up where Series 1 left off, packing 6 Young Guns, 6 20th Anniversary Parallels and 2 hits per $60-$70 hobby box. Other Series 2 highlights include 20th Anniversary Canadian World Jrs. variations, Die-Cut acetate cards, UD Signatures, Rookie Jerseys, Game Jerseys and Victory Update cards. Upper Deck Series 2 is scheduled to release in February of 2011.

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey

2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey is arguably the best installment of UD Hockey yet. The base set photography perfectly captures the essence of the sport, the Young Guns shine as usual and the addition of the 20th Anniversary Parallels take Series 1 to a whole new level. 2010-11 Upper Deck Series 1 is the type of product that reminds you why you started collecting in the first place.

2005-06 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

2005-06 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

2005-06 Upper Deck Hockey is one of the strongest sets in the history of the flagship hockey line. Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Corey Perry and Henrik Lundqvist are just some of the notable rookie cards.

1993-94 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1993-94 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1993-94 Upper Deck Hockey continues with the brand’s tradition of glossy cards and some of the best photography in the hobby. The SP brand makes its ice debut as an insert set.

1992-93 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1992-93 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1992-93 Upper Deck Hockey features 640-card checklist spread across two series. A growing number of inserts are joined by rookie cards of Paul Kariya, Saku Koivu, Chris Pronger and more.

1991-92 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1991-92 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1991-92 Upper Deck Hockey has all the hallmarks of the company’s early base sets. The cards are high-quality and showcase excellent photography. On top of that, the checklist is loaded with rookies.

1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey Cards

1990-91 Upper Deck Hockey marked the company’s debut in the sport. Released in two series, the stellar checklist includes rookie cards of Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure, Mike Modano and Sergei Fedorov.