A Matthew Schaefer 1-of-1 Chase Ends as Upper Deck's Hockey Card Boom Continues
In this story:
When the Stanley Cup is hoisted in June, it will bring the ’25-’26 NHL Season to a close. This moment will put an official exclamation point on an exciting and memorable year of hockey, including National Hockey Card Day! No matter where your fandom lies, there has likely been something to get your hockey hackles raised, whether good, bad, or ugly. The thrill has been real, and so has the chase.
For hockey card collectors, one could argue that the exhilaration has been doubled with the ability to find some fantastic hockey cards while keeping one eye on their growing collections, and the other on the ice for the hockey action. Perhaps, full attention given and both eyes afixed, when something, or someone, so incredibly captivating, enters the scene.
Enter, Matthew Schaefer, the #1 overall draft pick by the NHL’s New York Islanders, who was also named Rookie of the Year with every single first-place vote, all 198 of them. Mr. Schaefer has lived up to his draft stock and hype in his 1st year on NHL ice, and the hockey card world is seemingly upholding its end of the bargain, too. There are some extraordinary cards, big-time sales, and a recent epic pull featuring this Canadian-born player.
Let’s look at some of the most sought-after cards for this young star, who has arguably started his career better than most any other defenseman in recent memory and seems to be a true generational talent.
No. 3) 2025-26 Upper Deck Outburst Red Young Guns /25
The 'Outburst Red' parallel version of Matthew Schaefer's Upper Deck Young Guns card has been a popular performer at the top of this year's rookie card market. According to Card Ladder, there have been two versions of this card that have sold for more than $10,000: the one pictured above, numbered 06/25, and another with the 24/25 numbering, which sold on April 12, 2026, for $10,844.
No. 2). 2025-26 Upper Deck Young Guns Gold /10
Sale Price: $15,100 (Mar 29, 2026)
This Matthew Schaefer Rookie Card is another version of Upper Deck's iconic Young Guns collection and features him on the very coveted High Gloss version of this card, which is a limited run of just 10 total. It will be interesting to see what might happen if another one of these emerges and hits the market in the future.
No. 1) 2025-26 Upper Deck SP 1-of-1 Rookie Patch Auto
Sale Price: $25,000.00 (May 24, 2026)
Our previous card was a 1-of-10 and sold for $15,100. This one sold for $25,000 and is a 1-of-1 autographed jersey patch card from Upper Deck SP. The picture of Matthew Schaefer on the card shows him holding a 'Draft 25' hockey puck. I suspect that when the dust settles and as other cards enter the market, the $25,000 sale for this card may seem like a bargain.
Could Schaefer Have the Next $100k Hockey Card?
Now that we have taken a look at some of the cards that have sold over the past year, it is a good time to look ahead at a very special card that may very well hit the hockey card market in the future. Please buckle your chin straps, lace your skates, and get ready to jump out there on the ice for what should be the next big thing in the hockey card world.
On May 26th, Canadian-based card breaker and content creator team, TyTheCardGuy x Wayne's Breaks, had an absolutely massive hit with a Matthew Schaefer Rookie Card from O-Pee-Chee Platinum.
The exciting and revealing video by "Ty The Card Guy" shows this epic card pull during a breaking session from Wayne's Breaks, featuring the 1-of-1 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee Golden Treasures card of the young NHL star.
The post asks, "Is This a $100,000 Card?!" To answer that question, only time will tell, and we will plan to be here to tell the story.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.