Hockey Cards: From Bedard to Celebrini, Schaefer and the Next Generation

The last few years have been an interesting time for hockey-card collectors.

From Connor Bedard in 2023-24, to Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov and Lane Hutson in 2024-25, and then Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov, Beckett Sennecke and a deeper group of young players in 2025-26, the hobby has had plenty of young stars to chase.

But there has been an important difference between these seasons.

In 2023-24, it felt like there was one dominant chase. In the two seasons that followed, there were several. And that has made the hobby a lot more fun.

2023-24: The Bedard Effect

Before the excitement of Celebrini, Michkov and the next wave of rookies, there was Connor Bedard.

There is no question Bedard was the big story of the 2023-24 hockey-card season. As the first overall pick and one of the most hyped young players in years, his rookie cards became the chase. His Young Guns® card, along with his other rookie cards, parallels and premium versions, dominated much of the hobby conversation. He was the first to be put on the cover of his own Young Guns® Upper Deck Series 2 box!

Bedard also had a very good rookie season, finishing with 61 points in 68 games and showing why he was considered such a special talent.

But looking back, the Bedard market also felt overhyped and heavily concentrated around one player. It seemed like everything was about Bedard. Collectors were chasing his cards, watching prices and wondering just how high they could go.

The challenge was that there wasn't the same depth of rookie names giving collectors other major chases.

Bedard was the chase in 2023-24. But 2024-25 and 2025-26 gave collectors several young stars to follow.

2024-25: The Year of Celebrini

The 2024-25 season felt different right from the start. Instead of having one player dominate the entire rookie conversation, collectors had several names to watch.

1 - Macklin Celebrini

If one player defined the 2024-25 rookie-card season, it was Macklin Celebrini. The first overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft entered the league with enormous expectations. His 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 2 Young Guns #451 became one of the biggest rookie-card chases of the season.

How he carried the year: Celebrini gave collectors the main event. Every new card, big game, and rookie product brought more attention to the hobby.

2 - Matvei Michkov

Matvei Michkov gave collectors another major rookie to chase. His Young Guns card arrived in the same Series 2 rookie-card conversation as Celebrini.

How he carried the year: Michkov created a natural debate — who would have the better career, Celebrini or Michkov? That kind of competition keeps collectors interested.

3 - Lane Hutson

For Montreal collectors, Lane Hutson was a huge part of the 2024-25 story. His exciting style and offensive ability made his rookie cards a popular chase for Canadiens fans.

Hutson also backed up that excitement on the ice. He finished his rookie season with 66 points in 82 games and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

How he carried the year: Hutson gave Montreal collectors a young player to believe in and another major reason to open packs and search for his cards. Winning the Calder only strengthened his position as one of the most important young players in the hobby.

4 - Will Smith

Will Smith added another exciting piece to the San Jose Sharks story alongside Celebrini.

How he carried the year: Collectors weren't just looking at one young Sharks player. They could imagine what a young core of future stars might become.

5 - Cutter Gauthier

Cutter Gauthier rounded out a strong group of young players to watch.

How he carried the year: Gauthier showed that 2024-25 wasn't just about one or two names. Collectors had several players they could buy, trade and follow as their careers developed.

Why 2024-25 Worked

Celebrini was the headliner, but Michkov, Hutson, Smith and Gauthier gave collectors more reasons to stay interested.

There was always another rookie to chase, another player to watch and another card to discuss. That made the season feel healthier and more exciting than having one name carry the entire hobby.

2025-26: The Fun Continued

If collectors were worried that the hobby might slow down after Celebrini and Michkov, 2025-26 quickly provided another group of young stars.

1 - Matthew Schaefer

Matthew Schaefer became one of the biggest rookie stories of the season. Selected first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft, he played all 82 games, scored 23 goals and won the Calder Trophy.

How he carried the year: Schaefer gave collectors another first-overall-pick rookie who immediately backed up the hype. Winning the Calder made his rookie cards even more interesting.

2 - Ivan Demidov

For Montreal collectors, Ivan Demidov was one of the biggest names of 2025-26. He finished second in Calder voting and led all rookies with 62 points and 43 assists.

How he carried the year: Demidov continued the Montreal rookie-card excitement that Hutson helped create the year before. Canadiens collectors suddenly had another young star to chase.

3 - Beckett Sennecke

Beckett Sennecke also had a strong rookie season for Anaheim, finishing third in Calder voting and tying Schaefer for the rookie goal-scoring lead with 23 goals.

How he carried the year: His production gave collectors another young player to follow and another potential long-term hobby name.

4 - Michael Misa

Selected second overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2025 NHL Draft, Michael Misa added another exciting name to the growing group of young players in San Jose.

Misa made his NHL debut during the 2025-26 season and finished with 21 points in 45 games.

How he carried the year: Misa gave San Jose collectors another highly anticipated young player to follow alongside Celebrini and Will Smith. With his draft pedigree and offensive upside, he also became an interesting player to watch as his NHL career developed.

5 - Jimmy Snuggerud & Alexander Nikishin

Jimmy Snuggerud and Alexander Nikishin added even more depth to the class, with both earning spots on the NHL All-Rookie Team.

How they carried the year: They showed that the hobby wasn't just about the top Calder finalists. Product checklists featuring productive forwards and high-end defensemen gave collectors even more players to follow, buy, trade and collect.

Why 2025-26 Worked

Just like the season before, there were several players keeping collectors interested.

Schaefer gave us the first-overall pick who won the Calder. Demidov gave Montreal collectors another huge young-star chase. Sennecke brought goals. Misa added another high-end young talent to San Jose's growing core, while Snuggerud and Nikishin added depth across the rookie class.

Once again, there were cards to chase and players to watch.

Looking Ahead to 2026-27

Now comes the really exciting part: Who will be the next big chase?

One name immediately jumps out:

Gavin McKenna

McKenna was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL Draft, making him one of the biggest new names collectors will be watching heading into 2026-27.

His combination of draft pedigree, prospect reputation and the spotlight that comes with being the No. 1 pick makes him an obvious candidate to become the next major hockey-card chase.

Ivar Stenberg

Ivar Stenberg is another name that could attract plenty of attention. The San Jose Sharks selected him second overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, adding another highly regarded young player to a growing group that already includes Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa.

For collectors, Stenberg could give San Jose another major rookie-card name to follow.

Other Young Players to Watch

The 2026–27 season won't only be about the two top picks from the 2026 draft.

There are plenty of other young players who could make a big impact on the NHL and the hockey-card hobby. Porter Martone, Anton Frondell, Cole Hutson and Konsta Helenius are just a few names collectors should keep an eye on as their careers continue to develop.

These players all bring something different to the table, and any one of them could take a major step forward during the 2026–27 season. A breakout season, a strong playoff run or simply increased attention from collectors could quickly change the demand for their cards.

Maybe McKenna becomes the next superstar. Maybe Stenberg takes the hobby by storm. Maybe Martone, Frondell, Hutson or Helenius suddenly breaks out.

Or maybe a player nobody is talking about right now becomes the card everyone wants six months from now.

That's the beauty of hockey-card collecting. You never really know what's coming next.

We've gone from one massive chase in Bedard to a much deeper group of young players, including Celebrini, Michkov, Hutson, Schaefer, Demidov, Sennecke, Misa, Martone, Frondell and many others.

That variety is what makes the hobby more fun.

Hopefully, 2026–27 gives us another year of great young players, great cards, great trades and, most importantly, a whole lot of fun.

Because at the end of the day, hockey-card collecting is about more than prices.

It's about the players, the cards, the chase — and enjoying the hobby along the way.