2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey

This is the first half of Upper Deck's main 2019-20 NHL release, hitting right when Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon were entering their primes and Auston Matthews remained the most sought-after young star in the hobby. Series 1 contains the rookie cards you actually want to chase, along with plenty of base card depth across all 31 teams. The checklist leans heavily on established names, which means you're getting solid secondary market value even if you whiff on hits. Parallels are everywhere here, from basic team-colored versions down to rare short prints, and that's where the actual chase lives. The real targets are the Young Guns subset rookies, particularly any first-year cards of players who went early in the draft. McDavid and Matthews base cards still hold value, but the parallels are what separate this product from a loose stack of commons. You're looking at Red, Blue, Green, and Gold parallels that decrease in print run as the color gets rarer. Upper Deck also included their signature autograph inserts, though hitting a major rookie auto is genuinely tough. Hobby boxes come with better odds for pulls than retail, though the difference isn't dramatic by modern standards. The glossy finish on the base cards feels premium compared to competitors, which collectors either love or hate. Series 1 works best if you're hunting specific rookies or building team sets rather than ripping boxes blind. The hit rates are solid enough that you won't feel like you're throwing money away, but the real money is in singles of the top Young Guns. If you love the 2019 draft class, this is essential territory. Otherwise, consider grabbing a few packs for the base card satisfaction and spending your money on singles of whoever you actually want to own.