The NHL season is under way and Upper Deck is about to deliver the first major hockey release of the year, and we’re here to rank the best 2026 Upper Deck Series 1 rookie cards!
This release once again comes complete with 50 Young Guns to chase after! As alway, a player has to have played in an NHL game to get a card, meaning the most recent draft class will not be available until Upper Deck Series 2 and beyond. But those guys who made debuts late last season and in the playoffs have rookie cards available to chase right now.
When you rip this product, here are the six guys who should be on your radar!
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Rankings reflect a combination of age, position, team, and potential, as well as my opinion.
The ‘Hawks have Frondell playing as the second-line Center already, along with the second Power Play unit. He is surrounded by talented players and is in the best position to put up points for a young team looking to get back to playoff hockey.
At 19 years old, Frondell has plenty of upside on a roster that needs him to mature quickly, which means plenty of opportunities. Between youth and presence in hobby-friendly Chicago, we rank Frondell as the TOP Young Gun.
The Flyers youngster burst onto the scene late last year and was a force in the playoffs. He experienced big-time hockey, showed he belonged and looks to build on that this season while manning the third line and logging time with the second Power Play unit.
Many will argue Martone should be the No. 1 overall choice on this list — so consider picking his Young Guns rookie card to go with Frondell’s, just in case we’re wrong!
The Bruins started Hagens on the third line playing Left Wing as well as working the second Power Play unit and he has rewarded them already this year.
Just behind Frondell and Martone sits Hagens, an early first-round pick from 2025 NHL Draft, playing in hockey-crazy Boston. It’s these three guys in Tier 1 of our rankings, then a slight dropoff.
The second Protas brother playing for the Caps, Ilya is spending time centering the 3rd line and playing on the 2nd Power Play unit. Playing on the same line as his brother will lead to lots of chemistry and scoring opportunities for both brothers.
Protas led all AHL scorers last season, and he’ll get a season in Washington, learning from Alex Ovechkin. Along with fellow youngster Cole Hutson, Protas makes the Caps a nice team to pull in a box break.
The second Caps player to have a brother in the NHL, Cole is the younger brother of Lane Hutson, who recently won Rookie of the Year honors. Cole might be the only Defenseman on this list, but he has proven he can score already with 11 points in 16 games while already playing on the second defensive pairing.
Defenseman generally aren’t as collectable as forwards (excluding someone like Matthew Schaefer, of course), so we have Hutson one spot below his teammate. Then again, Hutson’s older brother proved that an offensive defenseman can be collectable even when it’s not Schaefer!
The Sabres were the darlings of the NHL last season and Helenius is just the type of player they need. He is currently getting time on the third line as well as the second Power Play unit and looks primed to move up a line. He is one to keep your eye on — and be happy about if you pull him out of a box.
Let us know your sleeper Young Guns might be who we missed! Also do you agree with putting Porter Martone #2 when most lists have him No. 1?
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