2017-18 Hockey’s Top Rookie Cards
Rookie cards are one of the most exciting and valuable pulls in hockey card collecting. Even pulls from the current years can fetch thousands if they’re a good condition rookie card.
If you were asking yourself what the good rookie cards are this year, we’ve got you covered. We’ll break down 2017-2018’s rookie cards by set. That way you can know which boxes to buy to get the best breaks!
2017-18 Upper Deck Series 1
It is said that the collecting season doesn’t start until UD Series 1 drops. The release contains the well loved Young Guns Rookies which come at a rate of 1 for every 4 packs.
This year is a big one with a total of 50 Young Guns Rookies in the set. That’s both good and bad – there are plenty of cards to collect, but it may make it more difficult if you’re chasing after a particular rookie card. Additionally, there are numbered Exclusinves (#/100), High Gloss (#/10), and Clear Cut PETG (1:72) versions.
We have to admit that there aren’t any Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews level rookies this year. But, Young Guns is always a valuable set to collect! A few of this year’s standout Young Gun Rookies are:
- Nico Hischier
- Charlie McAvoy
- Tyson Jost
- Alex DeBrincat
Series 1 releases on November 15th, and if you pre-order it, you’ll save 15%.
2017-18 Upper Deck Series 2
While details on UD Series 2 haven’t been shared yet, we can gather a few things on what’s in (or rather not in) Series 1. For one, we can expect another batch of 50 Young Guns Rookie Cards. A few rookies that didn’t appear in Series 1, but could appear in Series 2 are:
- Nolan Patrick
- Clayton Keller
- Thomas Chabot
- Joel Eriksson
- Kyle Connor
The release date or Series 2 is set for February 14, 2018.
2017-18 Artifacts
The 2017-18 Artifacts Hockey delivers top prospect rookies in the form of its Artifacts Rookies. Cards are numbered to 999, and can be valuable – depending on the rookie. A few rookies to look out for include:
- Clayton Keller (#/35)
- Brock Boeser (#/5 – all of these may already have been pulled.)
- Charlie McAvoy (#/35)
Conclusion
Rookie cards can be valuable additions to your collection, but don’t get too caught up in the value and/or rarity! Card collecting is, at it’s core, a hobby. One that’s meant for the enjoyment of the collector.
If you enjoy collecting Young Guns, grab the whole set! But if you’re not into rookie cards, and would rather focus your efforts on a particular team, don’t buy a set to make a profit.