25/26 Upper Deck ICE Hockey Release: Same Name, Fresh Ice
In this story:
If you want a fresh take on the rookie autograph card and like the crisp, hard feel of acetate cards on your fingertips, then the 2025-26 Upper Deck ICE hockey set is for you. This new Upper Deck offering releases on September 23, 2026, and this time it is a premium, hobby-exclusive set that averages an ICE Premiers rookie card in every box. It's a departure from past releases, with just one premium pack with 8 cards per box versus 72 cards per box in previous releases.
That certainly can bode well for those looking for rookie cards from the likes of Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa, Ivan Demidov, and many more. We will highlight our Top 5 chases to look out for in this set and break them down for you here.
Key Set Features:
Box/ Pack Configuration: 1 pack per box, 8 cards per pack. On average, each box/pack contains two base cards and one Ice Premieres card from tier 4 or 3, numbered to 999 or 499, respectively, among 5 other cards, including possible autographs, inserts, patches, and patch-autos.
Autographs: All are hard-signed
Base Set: Top experienced NHL players (100 Total), including at least two from each NHL franchise as well as rookies (100 total) across four tiers.
5) Exquisite Crystal
We start our list with one of the plexi cards featured in this set: Exquisite Crystal. We see NHL standout Connor Bedard on this card type above, which features the player atop a crystal background.
4) Black Ice
The Black Ice cards, such as the one featuring rookie standout Michael Misa, feature a list of 60 players, including 30 veterans (1:6 packs) and 30 rookies (1:3 packs). Gold Spectrum parallels of the Black Ice cards are numbered out of 25 and are randomly inserted into packs.
3) Signature Swatches
The Signature Swatches insert cards are fantastic cards that have a beautiful aesthetic featuring snowflake-like patterns and stay true to the Ice theme. The featured players on these cards are in full uniform and are shown in hockey action. Depending on the Signature Swatch parallel and player, these are numbered out of 5, 10, 15, 25, 49, and 99.
Many of the top stars in the league are featured in this set, including Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Tage Thompson, Connor Hellebuyck, and Cutter Gauthier. Also, two standout rookies are featured as well: none other than Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer and runner-up Ivan Demidov.
2) Fire & Ice Cards
Fire & Ice is a fascinating and fun set where there are versions with an ice theme, like the one featuring Dallas Stars player Wyatt Johnston, shown above. There is also a fire-themed design with some players featured on both versions while others are only found on one of the Fire & Ice type of cards. The Fire & Ice cards, including the fire parallel, are numbered depending on the player, out of 25, 99, or 199.
1) Ice Premieres
The Ice Premieres insert set offers rookie cards for the 25/26 NHL youngsters who are currently preparing for their second season in the league, with the start of the season coming in a matter of days, and opening night on September 29, 2026. These inserts span several different tiers as Upper Deck refers to them on the checklist. Here is a breakdown of these different versions:
Ice Premieres Level 4: Numbered out of 999
Ice Premieres Level 3: Numbered out of 499
Ice Premieres Level 2: Numbered out of 249
Ice Premieres Level 1: Numbered out of 99
Gold Parallel, Ice Premieres: Numbered out of 25
Champagne Gold Parallel, Ice Premieres: 1-of-1 Cards
Auto Parallel, Ice Premieres: Numbered out of 199 or 299 depending on player
Gold Auto Parallel, Ice Premieres: Numbered out of 25
Jersey Parallel, Ice Premieres: 1 in 3 packs
Patch Parallel, Ice Premieres: Numbered to 25
Auto Jersey Parallel, Ice Premieres: Numbered out of 35
Auto Patch Parallel, Ice Premieres: Numbered out of 10
The Ice Premieres inserts covers a broad range of various tiers and parallels as seen above and will certainly be a focus of many collectors looking for key 2025-26 rookies like Ivan Demidov, Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer, and others.
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D. Allen Thompson is a contributing collectibles writer with eclectic tastes. He provides enthusiastic commentary on the ever-evolving world of trading cards against the backdrop of the broader historical, economic, and societal contexts in which they exist. He is on a journey to find fascinating stories and meet interesting people while using trading cards as the guideposts to lead the way to the American Dream.