2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Details
2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey isn’t the sport’s first set of the year (2024-25 MVP gets that honor) but it kicks things into high gear. It’s appropriate, too, then that its release is slated to coincide with the kickoff of the NHL season.
Like last year, Upper Deck is going with a more streamlined approach to packs and boxes for its flagship release. That means small-ish hobby boxes of just 12 packs. But each pack comes with at least three inserts.
Young Guns? Of course they’re here, falling six per hobby box or every other pack.
2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey Checklist Overview
Upper Deck is big on tradition for its biggest set of the year, particularly when it comes to the base portion. As has been the case for a long time, Series 1 has 250 total cards. Of those, 50 are Young Guns. Collectors should expect late debuts from the 2023-24 season given the timing of Series 1’s release. It’ll arrive too early to capture any of the rookies playing their first NHL games at the kickoff of the 2024-25 campaign (although there is the customary redemption for a card of the First Overall Pick).
Parallels include:
- Silver Outburst – 1:15 packs, Young Guns – 1:60 packs
- Clear Cut – 1:48 hobby packs, Young Guns – 1:144 hobby packs
- Deluxe – /250
- Exclusives – /100
- Red Outburst – /25
- High Gloss – /10
- Gold Outburst – 1/1
This is the first of three planned installments for 2024-25 Upper Deck Hockey. Series 2 and Extended Series will each add another 250 cards bringing the finally tally to 750.
Familiar and Refeshed Inserts
The 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey checklist has a lot of inserts. That said, as has been the case for a while now, autographs and memorabilia cards are not the focus.
UD Canvas returns, once again taking some beats from the base set but with different stock and a smaller checklist. Veterans are 1:4 packs while Young Guns are 1:24. Parallels include Black and White, and Printing Plates. Series 1 has 120 cards with a lot more planned for Series 2 and Extended Series.
Upper Deck is expanding their cornerstone Rookie Cards with a new insert set, Young Guns Renewed. Falling 1:4 packs, these take some of the top Young Guns of all-time and gives them a colorful twist. Artist, Luke the Cardist, has reworked the backgrounds, creating something new and vibrant. Exclusives (/100), High Gloss (/10) and Printing Plates (1/1) are also randomly inserted.
Sticking with bright and colorful are Dazzlers. Blue versions are 1:12 hobby packs while Pink parallels are a case hit. Tins come with a bonus pack of three Orange, Red (1:4 bonus packs) or Black (1:12 bonus packs) versions. Green parallels are 1:4 blaster and 1:6 starter kit packs.
UD Portraits is back and with it comes a new design and different stock. Series 1 packs highlight top veterans. Those looking for rookies will have to wait for Series 2.
Rounding out the returning inserts is Population Count. Inspired by graded cards and done on acetate, these have seven versions, each with a matching print run: 1000, 500, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 1. The first 30 cards are in Series 1 with 30 more in Series 2.
New Inserts
Gaming XP draws inspiration from video games. The 100-card checklist breaks down into four sections: Co-Op, FOP, PVP and XP. All have Speckle (1:48 packs), Blue (1:192 packs), Green (/199) and Gold (/25) parallels.
Each franchise’s top line gets the spotlight in A-Line (1:13 packs). Red (/99) and Printing Plates (1/1) are the lone parallels for these. It’s a similar set up for Breaking News (1:6 packs), which highlights key moments from the 2023-24 season.
Other insert sets in 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey include Aimbot (1:6 packs), Checkpoint (1:6 packs) and City Satellites (1:8 packs). All three of these have Speckle, Black, Red (/99) and Gold (/10) parallels.
Holograms are synonymous with 1990s Upper Deck. They’re rarely used anymore but holograms aren’t extinct. Holotypes (1:504 packs) is evidence of this. The first 30 cards are here with Upper Deck planning to revisit it over the next several years in Series 1 with new cards but no repeating players.
2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey cards at a glance:
Cards per pack: Hobby – 12, Blaster – 12, Gravity Feed – 12, Tins – 12, Hanger Boxes – 24
Packs per box: Hobby – 12, Blaster – 4, Gravity Feed – 28, Tins – 8, Hanger Boxes – 1
Boxes per case: Hobby – 12, Blaster – 20, Gravity Feed – 6, Tins – 12
Set size: 250 cards
Release date (subject to change): October 9, 2024
What to expect in a hobby box:
- A-Lines or Breaking News – 3 Total
- Aimbots, City Satellites or UD Portraits – 8 Total
- Aimbots, City Satellites or UD Portraits Speckle – 1 Total
- Blue Dazzlers – 1
- Gaming Co-Op, FOV, PVP or XP – 6 Total
- Gaming Co-Op, FOV, PVP or XP Speckle – 1 Total
- UD Canvas – 4
- Young Guns Renewed – 3
- Outburst Silver – 1
- Clear Cut, UD Canvas Black and White, Dazzlers Pink, Gaming Co-Op/FOV/PVP/XP Blue – 1 Total
- Young Guns Rookie Cards – 6
- Additional Serial Numbered Cards, Short Prints or Printing Plates – 1 Total
Recent Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey releases:
The full 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey checklist and team set lists will be up as soon as they’re available, likely shortly before the product’s release.
