Connor Bedard Young Guns card has collectors eagerly anticipating Upper Deck Series Two Hockey release

Just when you thought Bedard mania couldn’t get any bigger, here comes his Young Guns card.

In what many have already deemed one of the biggest card releases in hobby history, the much-anticipated Wednesday, March 6 release of Upper Deck Series Two Hockey has many collectors running to their nearest hobby shop for a chance of pulling Connor Bedard’s coveted Young Guns card.

“I’ve got basketball collectors wanting hockey. Baseball fans are wanting hockey. Everyone wants a Connor Bedard,” said Ronnie Holloway, owner of Elite Sports Cards and Comics in Chicago.

Also See: Is Connor Bedard the NHL's next Great One?

Bedard’s Young Guns card is expected to immediately fetch $1,000 on the secondary market since many collectors and prospectors consider it the only rookie cardboard appearance of Bedard that matters.

Many longtime hockey card collectors could be left out of the Bedard hype. But the demand has also been fueled by new collectors to a sport that often ranks behind football, baseball and basketball.

As for the increased interest, Paul Zickler, Upper Deck’s Director of Sports Brands, said it has helped that Bedard is a Canadian playing with the Chicago Blackhawks, an Original Six franchise.

“With all those factors in place,” Zickler said, “I can’t recall a time when the NHL and the hockey collector is this excited.”

Bedard is also featured on Series Two boxes and packs. The set itself features 250 base cards and another 50 Young Guns. The odds of pulling a Young Guns card is one in every four packs. There are six Young Guns cards in every hobby box. Hobby boxes are selling for $300, more than the usual rate, with pre-orders already making it one of the hottest products of the year.

“All the [hockey] product that I have had over the last couple of years has been selling,” Holloway said of what Bedard has done for hockey cards in such a short time.

The hype around the highly-touted center and his cards began last year after the Blackhawks drafted him No. 1 overall. Since making his NHL debut this past October, Bedard has gotten plenty of ice time, performing to expectation despite missing nearly six weeks due to a fractured jaw. Bedard, who has already amassed 40 points, remains a favorite to win the Calder Trophy, which is given each year to the league’s top rookie.

Calling him “the big chase” in this year’s NHL products, Holloway noted that Bedard has put up some solid numbers this season, fueling demand among collectors and those who came into the hobby since the pandemic.

“He’s proven what he can do,” he said.

Since he has had a stellar rookie season, Bedard’s cards—including his surprise appearance in Series One and most recently in O-Pee-Chee sets—have been rising in value. Last summer, Bedard’s Upper Deck minor-league and Canadian national team cards shot up in value in anticipation of his NHL debut.

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It’s true that nothing gets the trading card community excited quite like a prospect such as Bedard. Rookie cards in general remain highly collectable. Ones of past stars like Wayne Gretzky and current ones such as Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby remain out of reach for many collectors.

Bedard buzz is reminiscent of the excitement generated around the Eric Lindros “Future Superstar” rookie card released by Score in their 1990-91 sets. The card—printed at the start of what would be later known as the junk wax era—quickly rose in value, but eventually flattened as Lindros’ career wore on.

It was a normal market response to overproduction. These days, fewer cards are produced, although Upper Deck does not make public how many it prints for its flagship set and in other products. In the case of Bedard’s Young Guns card, the base version is considered a short print. Bedard also has multiple insert cards in the set, including the “Dazzlers” subset.

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There are also other versions that could bring in even more money given their scarcity, including parallels such as Deluxe (#/250), Exclusives (/100), Outburst Red (/25), High Gloss (/10) and, for the first time this year, a 1-of-1 Outburst Gold.

SCD caught up with Bedard last September at the annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase, co-sponsored by Upper Deck and held in Arlington, Va., where he skated and posed for photos. At that same event, Bedard spent a large chunk of time signing autographs for Upper Deck and speaking to reporters about the hobby.

Also See: Connor Bedard helps Upper Deck with rookie cards at NHL Showcase 

“Growing up, I was a big card guy,” he said. “I used to open packs and stuff.”

Asked if his mother had thrown out his hockey cards, Bedard replied she had not.

“I’ve got them all back home,” he added.

Will Bedard be able to add his own Young Guns card to his collection? Zickler said yes.

“Typically, [a player] will get their hands on a few copies,” he said.