UD introducing Rookie Debut Jersey Cards in Extended

**RGM81** · 01-08-2026, 02:41 PM

This is pretty cool: https://upperdeck.com/upper-deck-int...-trading-cards

Game used jersey and patch cards have long been highly sought after by collectors – and Upper Deck is continuing to pioneer the integration of jersey swatches and trading cards with the introduction of The Upper Deck Debut Game Jersey Program. In collaboration with the NHL and NHLPA, Upper Deck is collecting full jerseys worn by top rookies in their debut NHL games and creating swatches to be featured in a variety of trading cards. Three different designs will pay homage to the groundbreaking 1996-97 “UD Game Jersey” inserts that introduced the first-ever game-used jersey trading cards to the hobby. The cards will be part of Upper Deck’s 2025-26 Extended Series checklist. Thirty years after changing the landscape of collecting, Upper Deck is once again providing a superior product from sports top athletes in an accessible way, because hockey is for everyone.

Upper Deck has collected game-worn jerseys from the debuts of some of the NHL’s best prospects, including exclusive athletes Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa, as well as stand-outs Beckett Sennecke, Brady Martin, Isaac Howard, and Easton Cowan, among others. The cards will be included as part of 2025-26 Upper Deck Extended Series, scheduled to release this summer. Each Upper Deck Debut Game Jersey trading card will feature a photo-matched image of the player from their first professional game on the ice, as well as a piece of the jersey they wore during that game. Upper Deck will offer a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for each of these cards, matching the exact date of the debut game. Additionally, three card variations will be available to collect, including Debut Game Jersey Autographs (serial #’d to their jersey number) and special Debut Game Jersey Auto Black Variations (serial #’d 1-of-1) containing unique patch or fight strap tags from the debut jersey.
Long-time Upper Deck collectors and hockey fans will recognize the design of these trading cards, as the company pays homage to its first-ever “UD Game Jersey” trading cards. The first cards to feature game worn jerseys debuted in Upper Deck’s 1996 Hockey and Football sets, and later in 1997 Basketball and Baseball. UD Game Jersey cards quickly became the most chased at the time and are now iconic in the hobby.
Fans and collectors can keep an eye out for the 2025-26 Upper Deck Hockey Extended Series, which will be released this summer.