Cards
Hockey cards, memorabilia get big push by Upper Deck at The National
ROSEMONT, Ill.—Upper Deck made it a point to make its booth at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention the place to be for hockey collectors.
The company’s presence at the show inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center featured signed hockey cards and memorabilia, game-worn rookie jerseys and even an exhibit dedicated to the hometown Chicago Blackhawks to coincide with team’s 100th anniversary.
“As the industry grows, we feel a lot of self-imposed pressure to grow with it in many different ways,” said Michael Phillips, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Upper Deck. “And one of them is that we represent the brand at major shows like this.”
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Phillips said the plan to expand and improve Upper Deck’s footprint at the National came after the 2025 show.
“Starting last year at the National, as we walked the floor, one of the things that really frustrated us was the lack of hockey products,” he said. “If you’re a hockey collector and you come here, it’s actually much harder than it should be to find hockey cards. So we had the idea and we met with the National about it last year to create a whole additional booth that is completely dedicated to hockey.”
Phillips said they got the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association and the Chicago Blackhawks involved on how to better promote hockey. The plan resulted in a section showcasing the Blackhawks’ 100th anniversary featuring original trophies and game-worn items.
It also included exhibits highlighting rookie-year jerseys that will be incorporated into future cards, player autographs, a stage dedicated to interviews and box breaks as well as the ability to appear on your own card.
“Everything about this booth is dedicated to hockey collecting,” Phillips added.
THE ROOKIES
Twenty-one NHL prospects got together at this year’s NHLPA Rookie Showcase held in Chicago, where players were photographed for their first Upper Deck cards and other promotional materials for the upcoming season. The showcase, which usually takes place in Washington, D.C. in early September, was moved up to late July to coincide with this year’s NSCC.
The collection of rookies included Gavin McKenna, the overall No. 1 draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leaf’s in this year’s NHL Draft. McKenna ripped packs with a group of children at the Upper Deck booth, then walked the showroom floor greeted by a mob of fans.
Asked if he planned to collect cards in the future, McKenna said, “Maybe. You never know.”
McKenna called it “definitely wild” that collectors would someday spend lots of money to buy his rookie cards.
Chicago Blackhawks rookie Sacha Boisvert also made an appearance at the Upper Deck booth, where he opened packs of 2025-26 UD Extended Series.
“I've never experienced anything like this before or been somewhere like this,” he said. “I've seen videos [of the National] and things like that, but it’s really cool to be here.”
Washington Capitals rookie Andrew Cristall, who joined Boisvert for the box break, added, “I collected hockey cards when I was about 5 years old. I had a bunch of different cards growing up. I think they're still sitting around my house somewhere.
“I've already picked up some cards,” he said, noting he hadn’t pulled any star players. “They're not the special ones, but they’re still pretty cool.”
Phillips said the presence of rookies was a way to show the players “firsthand the impact that they have on people.”
“I'm hopeful that it’s something that we can continue to do in the years to come,” he added. “That is our goal.”
BOOSTING CARD SALES
While Upper Deck hockey products remain extremely popular in Canada, the California-based company said it continues to work on growing hockey cards in the U.S. market.
One way to generate greater awareness, Phillips said, was by changing its redemption program, which previously featured a publicly available list of wax products that had to be purchased in exchange for a free special pack of cards. Instead, the revised giveaway was like a scavenger hunt and involved purchasing a product or a certain type of card every two hours. In exchange, collectors redeemed a Black Pack, all of which featured one autographed card.
“It’s proven tremendously popular,” Phillips said. “We have people here, hanging out all day and trading with other collectors.”
The cards inserted in its redemption packs included a 2024-25 Premier Rookie Patch Auto of Macklin Celebrini and a 2005-06 Ultimate Collection “Ultimate Rookies” Connor McDavid #/175.
Phillips said the aim was to do “something different that would create some excitement.”
“We also wanted to create a redemption program that would ideally pull in collectors who are traditionally collecting the other sports,” he added. “I think we did that.”
Clemente Lisi
