Connor Bedard Rookie Card Guide: 2023-24 Upper Deck and Young Guns
Everything you need to know about Connor Bedard's rookie cards — Young Guns, exclusives, parallels, and the long-term outlook for hockey collecting.
Hockey cards have always trailed basketball and football in mainstream attention, but the Connor Bedard 2023-24 rookie class is the closest thing to a Crosby-level hype event the NHL hobby has had in a decade. The Young Guns rookie remains the centerpiece, but Bedard's market spans multiple Upper Deck releases.
Here's the 2026 Bedard playbook.
The flagship Bedard rookies
2023-24 Upper Deck Young Guns Connor Bedard
The most important Bedard card. Young Guns is the iconic NHL rookie card series.
- PSA 10: $1,500–$3,500+
- PSA 9: $200–$500
2023-24 Upper Deck Young Guns Exclusives /100
The numbered Young Guns parallel. Strong premiums.
2023-24 Upper Deck Young Guns High Gloss /10
Vanishingly rare parallel. Major premium.
2023-24 Upper Deck Canvas (Young Guns variant)
The Canvas variant is a fan favorite alternate art. Strong premiums on PSA 10s.
2023-24 SP Authentic Future Watch Auto
The premium Bedard auto rookie. PSA 10 + PSA 10 auto sales reach into the $15,000+ range, with low-numbered parallels far higher.
2023-24 The Cup (Upper Deck) Rookie Patch Auto
The trophy. The Cup is hockey's National Treasures. Bedard RPAs from /99 down to 1/1 carry massive premiums.
Tier 2: Strong supporting Bedard RCs
- 2023-24 SP Game Used — premium memorabilia rookies.
- 2023-24 Tim Hortons UD set — accessible Canadian retail rookies.
- 2023-24 SPx — premium parallels with strong design.
- 2023-24 Series 1 / Series 2 Upper Deck — base set rookies.
Tier 3: Accessible Bedard rookies
- 2023-24 O-Pee-Chee — paper-stock accessible rookies.
- 2023-24 Tim Hortons retail — Canadian-only retail product.
- 2023-24 MVP — accessible Upper Deck base.
Why Bedard matters
Three factors:
- First-overall hype cycle delivered — Bedard's rookie season validated the prospect ranking.
- Hockey collecting is undervalued relative to other major sports.
- Canadian collector base is structurally engaged — hockey is the cultural sport.
If hockey collecting catches up to the other sports' valuations, Bedard cards have significant upside.
Why Young Guns is special
Upper Deck's Young Guns series has been the iconic NHL rookie subset since 1990-91. Crosby's, Ovechkin's, McDavid's Young Guns rookies are foundational. Bedard's joins that lineage.
Young Guns is short-printed within Series 1 — about 1:6 packs — which combined with the player checklist creates real scarcity for star rookies.
Grading Bedard cards
For NHL, PSA dominates US and international resale. Beckett (BGS) has historical strength in hockey but has lost share. KSA is Canadian-domestic and has presence in domestic transactions.
Common Young Guns condition issues:
- Centering is variable.
- Edge whitening on dark borders.
- Print lines on the foil surface.
What to chase in 2026
Building a Bedard PC priorities:
- Young Guns base in PSA 10 as the foundation.
- Canvas parallel in PSA 10 as a value parallel.
- An SP Authentic Future Watch auto if budget allows.
- An Exclusives /100 as the chase.
Time horizons
Bedard's career is just starting. NHL collecting is a long game. Treat all Bedard purchases as long-term holds.
How AI pre-grading helps
Young Guns centering is variable across the print run. AI pre-grading lets you screen each card before submission.
CardSense AI supports modern Upper Deck NHL releases with PSA / BGS live comps.
The bottom line
Connor Bedard is the most hype-validated NHL rookie of the modern era. Young Guns is the iconic card. Build the PC, default to PSA, and treat hockey as the undervalued long-term opportunity it is.
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