2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1 Young Guns: Our Top 25 Rookie Cards Ranked
Card Talk: No hype. No spin. Just cards.
2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1 is here, and so is the yearly question: which Young Guns are worth chasing?
No Bedard this year. No single name that carries the whole product. What you do get is a deep rookie class with four real headliners and a strong second wave behind them. Here's how we see it.
Our rankings are a collector's view, not investment advice. Prospects bust. Sleepers hit. That's hockey.
Know Before You Open
- Hobby release: October 7, 2026. Retail (blasters and tins) follows October 21.
- Hobby box: 12 packs, 12 cards per pack, 12 boxes per case.
- Young Guns: about one every two hobby packs. Six per box on average.
- Checklist: 250 cards. 49 Young Guns (#201–#249). Card #250 is the Young Guns checklist with Frondell and Martone.
- No 2026 draft picks. Series 1 is printed too early. This year's rookies are players who debuted late in 2025-26.
The Young Guns Parallel Ladder
A base Young Gun of a top name is nice. A parallel is the hit. Here's what you're hunting:
| Parallel | Rarity |
|---|---|
| UD Canvas Young Guns | About 1 in 24 hobby packs (about 6 per case) |
| Outburst Silver | 1 in 60 hobby packs |
| Clear Cut | 1 in 144 hobby packs |
| Deluxe | Numbered /250 |
| UD Exclusives | Numbered /100 |
| Outburst Red | Numbered /25 |
| High Gloss | Numbered /10 |
| Outburst Gold | 1/1 |
Inserts Worth Knowing
UD Canvas is back with four per box, and the Canvas Young Guns are the toughest standard rookie version to pull. Stencils is the best-looking new set: no ink on the front, just a foil stencil image, with numbered Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple parallels. Four per box.
Case hits include Bootleg, Holotypes, Youthful Spirits and Electric Soul. Fun to pull. The Young Guns are still why you open the box.
How We Ranked Them
This isn't a list of the best hockey prospects. It's a list of the cards collectors will actually want. That comes down to four things:
- Ceiling. Can he be a star, not just an NHLer?
- Offense. Goals and points sell cards. Shutdown defensemen don't.
- Market. A rookie in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago or Montreal gets more buyers than the same player somewhere quiet.
- Opportunity. A roster spot and power-play time this season beats a great prospect stuck in the AHL.
Columbia's Top 15 at a Glance
| Rank | Player | Team | Card # | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porter Martone | Philadelphia Flyers | 209 | The Big Four |
| 2 | Anton Frondell | Chicago Blackhawks | 201 | The Big Four |
| 3 | James Hagens | Boston Bruins | 206 | The Big Four |
| 4 | Cole Hutson | Washington Capitals | 223 | The Big Four |
| 5 | Victor Eklund | New York Islanders | 220 | Real Upside |
| 6 | Konsta Helenius | Buffalo Sabres | 210 | Real Upside |
| 7 | Ilya Protas | Washington Capitals | 218 | Real Upside |
| 8 | Carter Yakemchuk | Ottawa Senators | 249 | Real Upside |
| 9 | David Reinbacher | Montreal Canadiens | 222 | Real Upside |
| 10 | Alex Bump | Philadelphia Flyers | 207 | Real Upside |
| 11 | Sacha Boisvert | Chicago Blackhawks | 243 | Worth a Look |
| 12 | Brayden Yager | Winnipeg Jets | 242 | Worth a Look |
| 13 | Oliver Bonk | Philadelphia Flyers | 240 | Worth a Look |
| 14 | Felix Unger Sörum | Carolina Hurricanes | 213 | Worth a Look |
| 15 | Lenni Hämeenaho | New Jersey Devils | 244 | Worth a Look |
The Big Four
These are the cards that drive box prices. If you're opening Series 1, these are the names you want to see.
1. Porter Martone – Philadelphia Flyers (#209)
Our top card. The sixth overall pick in 2025, Martone is a big, skilled winger who can score, and he plays in one of the loudest hockey markets in the country. Size, scoring touch and a Flyers sweater is the right combination for a hobby card. He's also on the #250 checklist card.
2. Anton Frondell – Chicago Blackhawks (#201)
Third overall in 2025. A Swedish center joining a Chicago rebuild already built around Connor Bedard. If Frondell becomes Bedard's long-term running mate, collectors will chase both. Card #1 of the Young Guns run and the other half of the #250 checklist card.
3. James Hagens – Boston Bruins (#206)
Hagens was talked about as a possible first overall pick for years before going seventh to Boston in 2025. He's a smart, quick playmaking center. Boston collectors are loyal and plentiful. If he hits, this card climbs fast.
4. Cole Hutson – Washington Capitals (#223)
The only defenseman in our top four, and for good reason. Hutson is an offense-first blueliner, and his brother Lane has already shown the hobby what an undersized scoring defenseman can do. Puck-moving D with power-play time is the exception to the "defensemen don't sell" rule.
Real Upside (5–10)
Not headliners yet. Every one of these has a path to become one.
- 5. Victor Eklund, Islanders (#220). Skilled, competitive winger. New York market helps. The best value bet in the set if he wins a top-six role.
- 6. Konsta Helenius, Sabres (#210). Smart two-way center. Buffalo needs him. Opportunity is there.
- 7. Ilya Protas, Capitals (#218). Brother of Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas. A mid-round pick who keeps beating expectations. Collectors have noticed.
- 8. Carter Yakemchuk, Senators (#249). Seventh overall in 2024. Big defenseman with a heavy shot and real offense. The Ottawa D to own.
- 9. David Reinbacher, Canadiens (#222). Fifth overall in 2023. Montreal is the biggest hockey card market there is, and that alone keeps this card in demand.
- 10. Alex Bump, Flyers (#207). A scorer who has outplayed his draft slot. Second Flyer in our top 10.
Worth a Look (11–15)
- 11. Sacha Boisvert, Blackhawks (#243). Another young piece of the Chicago rebuild.
- 12. Brayden Yager, Jets (#242). Former first-rounder with a quick shot. Needs a real role in Winnipeg.
- 13. Oliver Bonk, Flyers (#240). Steady, puck-moving defenseman. Third Flyer on the list.
- 14. Felix Unger Sörum, Hurricanes (#213). Creative winger in a system that develops forwards well.
- 15. Lenni Hämeenaho, Devils (#244). Hardworking Finnish winger with some scoring touch.
Sleepers (16–25)
We wouldn't pay a release-week premium for any of these. But a hot first month can change that quickly.
- Oscar Fisker Mølgaard – Seattle Kraken
- Adam Sýkora – New York Rangers
- Jake Livanavage – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Sandis Vilmanis – Florida Panthers
- Theo Lindstein – St. Louis Blues
- Nathan Gaucher – Anaheim Ducks
- Drew Fortescue – New York Rangers
- David Špaček – Minnesota Wild
- William Villeneuve – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jorian Donovan – Ottawa Senators
The other 24 Young Guns are mostly team-collector cards for now. That's not a knock. Plenty of Hall of Famers had Young Guns nobody wanted on release day.
Our Take
This is a better class than people expected without a generational name at the top. Four legit chases. Six more with a real path. Philadelphia collectors especially are going to like this set, with three Flyers in our top 13.
If you pull one of the Big Four, protect it right away. If you pull a parallel of one, get it graded.
Pulled a Young Gun? Here's What to Do
- Sleeve it and toploader it immediately. Young Guns are standard thickness, so a 35pt toploader fits. Cardboard Gold 35pt | Max Protection 35pt
- Grading it? Send it in a semi-rigid holder, not a toploader. We're a PSA Official Submission Center. Submit through us.
- Selling it? We buy graded and raw Young Guns 7 days a week. Get an offer.
Young Guns FAQ
How many Young Guns are in 2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1?
There are 49 Young Guns rookie cards, numbered #201 through #249. Card #250 is a checklist card featuring Anton Frondell and Porter Martone.
How many Young Guns are in a 2026-27 Series 1 hobby box?
About six per hobby box on average, or roughly one every two packs. Each box has 12 packs of 12 cards.
Who is the best Young Gun in 2026-27 Series 1?
We rank Porter Martone (#209) first, followed by Anton Frondell (#201), James Hagens (#206) and Cole Hutson (#223).
Are there any sleepers in 2026-27 Series 1?
Victor Eklund, Ilya Protas and Alex Bump are our favorite value picks outside the top four.
Where can I buy 2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1 hockey?
Hobby boxes are in stock at Columbia Sports Cards in Vancouver, WA. We can't post prices online for new Upper Deck releases, so request a price here or stop by the shop.
Get Your Series 1 at Columbia Sports Cards
2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey hobby boxes are in stock now. Request a price →
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