2025-26 Upper Deck Credentials Hockey Checklist

2025-26 Upper Deck Credentials Hockey returns for its sixth season with a familiar mix of autographs, numbered content and acetate cards, but one of the product’s signature elements now looks very different. Debut Ticket Access remains the rookie centerpiece of the release, yet the longtime ticket-inspired presentation has been replaced by a more modern design built around colorful geometric shapes and a faded team logo backdrop.

The hobby format stays compact and hit-driven, with one autograph in every box, at least three Debut Ticket Access rookie cards and multiple numbered parallels or inserts. That balance keeps Credentials in its usual lane as a release geared toward collectors who like short boxes, serial numbering and a lot of variety packed into a small break.

2025-26 Upper Deck Credentials Hockey at a glance

The set has 150 total cards. Veterans occupy cards 1 through 100, while Debut Ticket Access rookies make up cards 101 through 150.

Cards per pack: 6
Packs per hobby box: 8
Boxes per case: 20
Set size: 150 cards
Release date: April 29, 2026

Upper Deck’s stated hobby box averages are built around one autograph, one additional numbered acetate or numbered insert parallel, one mid-tier insert, one tougher insert, eight standard insert cards, four numbered base or Ticket Access parallels and at least three Debut Ticket Access rookies.

Autographs: 1
Numbered acetate or numbered insert parallel: 1 total
Shaping Success or Sparks of Greatness: 1 total
Access Point, Bright Cellys, Now Starring, Pro Visions, Pro Visions Legends or Team Tags: 1 total
Defined Success, Front Row Talent, Sensational Youth or Standing on Their Head: 8 total
Numbered base or Ticket Access parallels: 4 total
Debut Ticket Access rookie cards: at least 3

Base set structure and parallels

The main veteran run includes 100 cards and leans heavily on established names, young stars and market anchors. The checklist features players such as Quinn Hughes, Alex Ovechkin, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov.

Veteran parallels are serial numbered as follows:

Blue /199
Pink /99
Green /25
Purple /10
Gold /5
Black /1
Printing Plates /1

Debut Ticket Access rookies remain numbered to /999 in their base form. That portion of the release has 50 cards and carries one of the bigger prospect lineups in this year’s hockey card calendar. The parallel rainbow for those rookie cards consists of:

Red /249
Blue /199
Pink /99
Green /25
Purple /10
Gold /5
Black /1
Printing Plates /1

Among the top rookies and prospect names in Debut Ticket Access are Michael Misa, Artyom Levshunov, Nate Danielson, Zeev Buium, Ivan Demidov, Matthew Schaefer, Zayne Parekh, Beckett Sennecke, Gabe Perreault, Ryan Leonard, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jimmy Snuggerud. Collectors also get a strong San Jose Sharks presence with Michael Misa, Luca Cagnoni, Cam Lund and Sam Dickinson in the main rookie lineup.

Debut Ticket Access gets a fresh look

The biggest design story in 2025-26 Credentials is the shift away from the ticket-themed layout on Debut Ticket Access. Since Credentials debuted in 2019-20, those rookie cards had been tied closely to the ticket motif that helped define the brand. This year, Upper Deck changes direction without changing the name.

For some collectors, that will be the most debated part of the product. The ticket look had become one of the release’s calling cards. At the same time, the redesign gives the rookie cards a brighter and more contemporary feel, and the heavier use of color should make rainbows stand out even more when collectors line up the numbered parallels.

Autographs and hard-signed content

Credentials continues to put a lot of emphasis on on-card signatures. Base veteran autographs fall 1:16 packs and include Purple /10 and Black 1/1 parallels. Notable names on that checklist include Macklin Celebrini, Aleksander Barkov, Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov, with several of those marked as short prints or super short prints.

Debut Ticket Access Autographs remain one of the key chase elements in the set. Base signed versions are split between cards numbered to /199 and tougher cards numbered to /99, with Green /25, Gold /5 and Black 1/1 parallels. Important rookie autographs include:

DTA-AL Artyom Levshunov /99
DTA-ID Ivan Demidov /99
DTA-MM Michael Misa /99
DTA-MS Matthew Schaefer /99
DTA-RL Ryan Leonard /99
DTA-ZB Zeev Buium /99
DTA-AP Axel Sandin-Pellikka /199
DTA-DD Dalibor Dvorsky /199
DTA-EC Easton Cowan /199
DTA-MW Matthew Wood /199

Some autograph entries come with specific exceptions that matter to set builders. Ben Kindel has no Gold or Black parallel. Beckett Sennecke also has no Gold or Black parallel. Sam Dickinson has no Black parallel.

Acetate autographs add another layer. Acetate Debut Ticket Access Auto cards are numbered to /99 and include names such as Ivan Demidov, Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer, Ryan Leonard, Artyom Levshunov, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Zeev Buium and Easton Cowan. Veteran-style Acetate Ticket Access Auto cards are also numbered to /99, with Connor McDavid, Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov, Logan Cooley, Wyatt Johnston and Andrei Vasilevskiy among the highlights.

Insert lineup and pack odds

Credentials keeps a broad insert lineup that ranges from box-level staples to long-shot pulls. Four insert families act as the more common backbone of the product:

Defined Success: 1:3 packs
Front Row Talent: 1:4 packs
Sensational Youth: 1:4 packs
Standing on Their Head: 1:5 packs

Those insert sets each have Green /99 and Purple /10 parallels, and each also has autograph versions in varying scarcity levels. Sensational Youth Autographs land 1:180 packs, Defined Success Autographs 1:240 packs, Standing on Their Head Autographs 1:320 packs and Front Row Talent Autographs 1:360 packs.

The next tier includes:

Shaping Success: 1:13 packs
Bright Cellys: 1:20 packs, Gold /15 parallels
Sparks of Greatness: 1:21 packs
Access Point: 1:40 packs
Now Starring: 1:40 packs
Team Tags: 1:50 packs

Pro Visions returns as one of the rarest visual chases in the set. Standard Pro Visions cards fall 1:300 packs, while Pro Visions Legends lands 1:600 packs.

Key insert checklists collectors will target

Several insert checklists stand out because of either player selection or theme.

Sensational Youth

This is one of the most prospect-loaded insert sets in the product. The 25-card lineup includes Matthew Schaefer, Nate Danielson, Ivan Demidov, Beckett Sennecke, Artyom Levshunov, Michael Misa, Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Logan Cooley, Gabe Perreault, Jimmy Snuggerud, Matvei Michkov, Ryan Leonard, Lane Hutson, Zayne Parekh and Will Smith.

Sparks of Greatness

This insert is another strong rookie-focused chase with Ryan Leonard, Artyom Levshunov, Matvei Michkov, Alexander Nikishin, Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov, Gabe Perreault, Dalibor Dvorsky, Will Smith, Noah Ostlund, Lane Hutson, Oliver Moore, Zeev Buium, Beckett Sennecke, Jimmy Snuggerud and Zayne Parekh.

Front Row Talent

This 25-card set mixes stars and top names from across the league, including Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, William Nylander, Jack Hughes, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Quinn Hughes is not in this insert, but several marquee scorers are, giving it solid appeal for player collectors.

Standing on Their Head

Goalie collectors get a dedicated 20-card insert with Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, Sergei Bobrovsky, Anthony Stolarz, Jeremy Swayman, Juuse Saros, Stuart Skinner, Ilya Sorokin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyck and Jacob Markstrom.

Pro Visions and Pro Visions Legends

The standard Pro Visions checklist includes Mikko Rantanen, Lane Hutson, Brady Tkachuk, Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, Dustin Wolf, Ivan Demidov, Macklin Celebrini, Brayden Point, Filip Forsberg, Jimmy Snuggerud and Alex Ovechkin. Legends are limited to Denis Savard, Joe Thornton, Pavel Datsyuk, Teemu Selanne, Pavel Bure and Bobby Orr.

Notable rookie and star chases by team

Some teams have a noticeably stronger footprint in the product than others, especially in the rookie and autograph portions of the checklist.

San Jose Sharks: Will Smith, Yaroslav Askarov, Macklin Celebrini, Michael Misa, Luca Cagnoni, Cam Lund and Sam Dickinson appear across base, autos and inserts.
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard headlines the veteran side, while Artyom Levshunov, Colton Dach, Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene strengthen the rookie checklist.
Montreal Canadiens: Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson are joined by Ivan Demidov in one of the better rookie-star combinations in the product.
Detroit Red Wings: Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Mazur and Axel Sandin-Pellikka make Detroit one of the deeper rookie teams.
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos anchor the veterans, while Matthew Wood, Brady Martin, Joakim Kemell and Ozzy Wiesblatt deepen the rookie side.
Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin remains one of the headline veterans, with Ryan Leonard giving the team a major rookie chase.
New York Islanders: Matthew Schaefer is one of the biggest rookie names in the set and appears extensively across inserts and autographs.

Selected checklist highlights

Debut Ticket Access rookie highlights

#102 Michael Misa RC /999
#103 Artyom Levshunov RC /999
#108 Zeev Buium RC /999
#117 Ivan Demidov RC /999
#121 Matthew Schaefer RC /999
#123 Zayne Parekh RC /999
#134 Beckett Sennecke RC /999
#141 Gabe Perreault RC /999
#145 Ryan Leonard RC /999
#146 Axel Sandin-Pellikka RC /999
#150 Jimmy Snuggerud RC /999

Short print autograph names to watch

Base Auto: Macklin Celebrini SSP
Base Auto: Connor McDavid SSP
Base Auto: Connor Bedard SSP
Base Auto: Aleksander Barkov SP
Base Auto: Matvei Michkov SP
Front Row Talent Auto: Connor McDavid SP
Front Row Talent Auto: Jack Hughes SP
Defined Success Auto: Leon Draisaitl SP
Defined Success Auto: Quinn Hughes SP
Defined Success Auto: Cale Makar SP
Sensational Youth Auto: Macklin Celebrini SP
Sensational Youth Auto: Connor Bedard SP

Update cards add carryover chase value

One of the more interesting parts of Credentials continues to be its update section. This year’s release includes leftover or newly inserted cards tied to earlier seasons, giving collectors a chance at retro-styled and acetate content from 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Among the more notable update cards are:

2021-22 Retro Ticket Access Auto Green: Matthew Tkachuk /3
2021-22 Ticket Access Auto Yellow: Tyler Bertuzzi /25
2022-23 Ticket Access Autos: Josh Norris /99 and Kirby Dach /99, plus multiple color parallels down to Black 1/1
2023-24 1997 Season Ticket Acetate Auto: Alexis Lafreniere /25
2023-24 Acetate Ticket Access Auto: Mitch Marner /10
2023-24 Dual Ticket Access Auto: Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk /25
2024-25 Acetate Ticket Access Autos: Leon Draisaitl /10, Connor McDavid /10, Matt Boldy /25, Jason Robertson /25 and Mikko Rantanen /25
2024-25 Retro Ticket Access Auto Golds: names include Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Logan Cooley, Jake Oettinger and Wyatt Johnston, all /5

The update rookie material is also strong, featuring 2024-25 names such as Albert Johansson, Jett Luchanko, Joel Blomqvist, Oliver Kapanen, Seamus Casey, Conor Geekie, Josh Doan, Frank Nazar, Jesper Wallstedt, Luca Del Bel Belluz and Zachary Bolduc.

Collector outlook

Credentials remains a niche Upper Deck hockey product, but it knows exactly what it wants to be. It is not a massive flagship-style checklist and it is not loaded with memorabilia cards. Instead, it leans on hard-signed autos, serial-numbered rookies, acetate stock and insert variety. That formula should continue to appeal to collectors who enjoy rainbow building and prospect chasing without opening a large-format product.

The redesigned Debut Ticket Access cards will drive most of the conversation, and the rookie group gives the release plenty of traction. With Ivan Demidov, Michael Misa, Artyom Levshunov, Matthew Schaefer, Ryan Leonard, Zeev Buium, Beckett Sennecke and Axel Sandin-Pellikka all appearing across the main rookie, autograph and insert checklists, 2025-26 Upper Deck Credentials Hockey has no shortage of names for prospect-focused collectors to hunt on release day.