Upper Deck hockey sets explained: the yearly lineup
How Upper Deck's hockey products differ in base set, rookie cards and what a box holds, with the order its 2025-26 checklists were posted.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 7 min read
Upper Deck issues its NHL cards as a long run of products each season. The products differ in four ways: the size of the base set, where the rookies sit, what a box holds on average, and whether retail stores carry it. The main base set is split across three products.
When does Upper Deck post each hockey checklist?
Every hockey checklist Upper Deck posts carries a date. Those are posting dates, not release dates, and the product pages print almost no release dates. One example shows the gap: the 2023-24 The Cup checklist went up on May 22, 2025, and Upper Deck set the release for June 4, 2025. So read the table as the order in which checklists appeared.
For 2025-26, these are the NHL products in the order Upper Deck’s checklist archive posted them. PWHL, CHL, AHL, junior, club and show sets are not covered.
| Checklist posted | 2025-26 products |
|---|---|
| July 2025 | MVP |
| September 2025 | Artifacts |
| October 2025 | Upper Deck Series 1, Tim Hortons |
| November 2025 | Black Diamond |
| January 2026 | Allure, O-Pee-Chee, MVP Silver Collection, SP’s memorabilia set |
| February 2026 | Artifacts Rookies, Fleer Ultra, SP, Upper Deck Series 2, Star Rookies Box Set |
| March 2026 | Flair |
| April 2026 | Metal Universe, Credentials, SPx |
| May 2026 | O-Pee-Chee Platinum, Upper Deck Extended Series |
| June 2026 | SP Authentic, Parkhurst |
| July 2026 | Ultimate Collection |
| August 2026 | Clear Cut, Premier |
| September 2026 | Ice, Splendor |
Three things stand out. First, MVP’s checklist leads both seasons checked here, in July 2025 and again on July 22, 2026. That fits MVP’s place as the first set of the new collecting year. Second, the flagship base set’s three checklists were posted months apart, in October 2025, February 2026 and May 2026. Third, The Cup is a separate case. The 2023-24 edition’s release date was June 4, 2025, and the 2024-25 checklist was posted on November 21, 2025. Both fall well after the seasons they are named for.
How do the base set products differ?
These are the products built around large base sets. “Per box, on average” is Upper Deck’s own figure, averaged across many boxes, so one box can hold more or fewer.
| Product | Base set | Rookie cards | Per box, on average |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | 200 regular cards plus 50 short prints and rookies | Rookie redemption cards for the season’s rookies | 2026-27: 10 short prints and rookies, five Silver Script parallels |
| O-Pee-Chee | 600 cards, including a 100-card high series | Marquee Rookies, in the high series with 4 Nations Face-Off stars | On average, one high series card per pack |
| Upper Deck Series 1 and Series 2 | 250 cards each: 198 veterans, 49 Young Guns, three checklists | Young Guns | Six Young Guns, on the Series 2 page |
| Upper Deck Extended Series | The final 250: 200 veterans, 50 rookies | Young Guns and 1st Round Rookies | Six from those two groups |
| Parkhurst | Cards 1 to 200, plus rookie short prints at 201 to 250, on a vintage-style design | Base Set Rookies | 16 rookie cards, 16 retro cards in a 1954-55 design, one autograph |
| Allure | 150 cards: 100 veterans, 50 rookies | Base set rookies | On average, one rookie per pack |
MVP is aimed at set and team collectors, and O-Pee-Chee, with its classic design, is the largest set on the hobby market. Our guide to Young Guns cards covers how the three flagship releases split their rookies.
How do the mid-range and premium products differ?
The base sets here run from 95 to 240 cards, and several products number their base cards or their rookies.
| Product | Base set | Rookie cards | Per box, on average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artifacts | 240 cards, including rookie redemptions | 2026-27, which Upper Deck marks subject to change: rookies at 171 to 200, numbered to 999; redemptions at 201 to 240 | 2026-27: four numbered base or parallel cards, two autograph, memorabilia or tech cards, one redemption or acetate card |
| SPx | 165 cards: 100 veterans, 50 rookies, 15 Rookie Holograms | Cards 101 to 165 | Four base set rookies, four PETG or simulated hologram cards |
| Credentials | 150 cards, including 50 Debut Ticket Access rookies numbered to 999 | Hard-signed rookie autographs numbered to 199 or 99 | Eight cards from four insert sets, one autograph |
| SP Authentic | 100 veterans and 100 Future Watch rookies | Autographed Future Watch rookies numbered to 999 | At least one autographed Future Watch rookie, plus one more autograph |
| Ice | Hobby-exclusive, one pack per box, every autograph hard-signed | Ice Premieres | Two base cards, one autograph card, one jersey or patch card, one numbered Ice Premieres card |
| Tableau, new for 2025-26 | 100 veterans and 50 stars numbered to 999, 30 encased Dark Ice Rookies numbered to 100 | Dark Ice Rookies | 27 cards, at least 16 numbered, two encased hard-signed autographs, which Upper Deck marks subject to change |
| The Cup | Sold in tins | Rookie Auto Patch cards | 2024-25: one slabbed Rookie Auto Patch card in each tin |
Black Diamond has a base set of 95 cards of veterans, legends and rookies, with the rookies in the base set. SP’s memorabilia set is built on memorabilia, some from events such as the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 4 Nations Face-Off. Premier has a base set of 150 cards (stars numbered to 249, greats to 99, rookies to 399), with numbered rookies. Ultimate Collection has a base set of 100 cards: 75 veterans and 25 greats.
Two terms in the table need a word. Hard-signed means signed directly on the card, as our guide to sticker and on-card autographs explains. And a rookie redemption is a placeholder card, redeemed online for the finished card, which our guide to sports card redemptions covers. Our guide to The Cup walks through that product’s tins and rookie cards.
Which products reach retail stores?
Not all of them. Many Upper Deck products, especially premium ones, are hobby-only, with no retail version, and Ice is hobby-exclusive. At the other end, the 2025-26 Series 1 checklist lists card rates for hobby, e-Pack, blasters, starter kits, tins, hangers and more. Allure has a blaster too, with two rookies per box, on average, against one per pack in the main product.
So check the product page and the checklist for the format before you shop. Our guide to hobby and retail boxes shows how the same card’s rate changes between a hobby box and a retail box.
What else is in the archive?
Upper Deck’s hockey archive holds more than the NHL lineup above. Around the same months it also posted checklists for PWHL, CHL and AHL sets, Team Canada and junior national team sets, anniversary sets for three NHL clubs, National Hockey Card Day, and sets tied to card shows. These are worth knowing about if you collect one league, one team or one event, but they sit outside the main lineup.
Which product fits what you collect?
Start from the cards you want, then pick the product.
- A big set to build: O-Pee-Chee, a 600-card base set in one product, or MVP, aimed at set and team collectors. The flagship base set is larger at 750 cards (250 in each of three products, by Rip.fan’s arithmetic), but it takes all three to finish.
- The flagship rookie cards: Upper Deck Series 1, Series 2 and Extended Series, home of the Young Guns.
- An autographed rookie in a box: SP Authentic lists at least one per box, on average.
- An autograph in a box: Credentials and Ice each list one autograph card per box, on average.
- Memorabilia cards: SP’s memorabilia set is built around memorabilia from NHL events, and Artifacts lists autograph, memorabilia or tech cards in each box.
- A premium product: Ice, with one pack per box; Tableau, where at least 16 of 27 cards are numbered; and Ultimate Collection and The Cup, both super-premium releases.
Whichever you choose, open the checklist first. It tells you what each card is, how it is numbered and which formats carry it. Our guides to rookie cards, parallels and autographs and patch cards explain what you will find there, and the sports cards hub gathers Rip.fan’s sports card coverage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first Upper Deck hockey product of the season?
MVP. Upper Deck posted the 2025-26 MVP checklist on July 17, 2025 and the 2026-27 one on July 22, 2026.
Why do Wayne Gretzky autographs come only in Upper Deck sets?
Gretzky is an Upper Deck exclusive spokesperson, so his autographs, jerseys and memorabilia do not turn up in other brands.
What does Upper Deck Series 2 add to Series 1?
A fresh run of base cards and Young Guns that picks up where Series 1 leaves off, plus inserts such as UD Canvas.
What are the standout cards in SPx?
The Shadowbox rookie cards and the UD Black Obsidian cards, in a product heavy on autographs, jersey cards and rookie autograph jersey cards.