2025–26 Upper Deck Ice Hockey: Schaefer /99, Demidov and the New Hobby Format

Matthew Schaefer and Ivan Demidov have Ice Premieres rookie cards numbered to 99, and those are part of the base set. That is the starting attraction in 2025–26 Upper Deck Ice Hockey: a numbered rookie collection in which the main checklist itself creates the chase. Schaefer is card 196 and Demidov is 197, placing the Islanders defenseman and Montreal forward beside one another in the top tier. Upper Deck checklist

The format surrounding those cards has changed substantially. Ice is now a Hobby-exclusive, one-pack product with eight cards per box. Upper Deck also rebuilt the card construction and kept all autographs hard-signed. The result puts its rookie cards, signatures and unusual surfaces at the center of a short opening. Manufacturer sell sheet

September 23 and an eight-card Hobby box

Hobby is expected September 23, 2026, with Dave & Adam’s offering boxes for $189.95 on preorder. That is a retailer price and expected date, rather than an announced Upper Deck direct-store preorder event. Dave & Adam’s Hobby listing

Manufacturer box breakdown

The allocation creates several different reveals within that single pack. A numbered rookie sits separately from the autograph and memorabilia positions, while the last slot mixes plexi designs with numbered parallels. Exquisite Crystal is therefore one possible destination for that slot, rather than a card promised in every box. The product's variety comes from its different card families sharing a compact format.

The rookie checklist gives each team a different path

The Ice Premieres subset occupies cards 101–200, following the hundred veteran base cards. Its four levels carry different numbering:

Official rookie checklist

Schaefer and Demidov share Level 1 with Michael Misa, Beckett Sennecke and other selected rookies. Gabe Perreault’s card 185 and Dalibor Dvorsky’s card 178 sit in Level 2. That distinction matters to a player collection because an Ice Premieres number describes the particular base rookie, not simply the color of an optional parallel. A Perreault collector and a Schaefer collector begin with different numbered editions even before looking at Gold or autograph versions.

The Sennecke Gold preview shows how a parallel changes that starting design. His orange Anaheim uniform stands against a deep blue field, with gold geometric lines climbing the left edge and silver facets filling the right. The circular Ice mark sits below the player, while the name remains clear at the top. The image is a Gold /25 preview, distinct from Sennecke’s regular Level 1 card 200. Gold design preview, Sennecke checklist entry

The rebuild changes what an Ice card feels like

Upper Deck gives the base cards and their non-memorabilia parallels acetate on both sides around a card-stock center, with a 70-point thickness. Sub Zero moves to 60 points, three times its previous thickness. These construction details explain a meaningful part of the redesign: Ice's layered surfaces now belong to more substantial cards. Upper Deck construction details

Cale Makar’s Exquisite Crystal takes a different approach with plexi. Its white-and-gold frame surrounds a faceted interior, with the product name crossing the lower part of the portrait. The Colorado jersey supplies the strongest color inside that pale structure. Compared with Sennecke’s blue-and-orange Premieres design, Makar’s card feels more architectural: the borders, central opening and reflective-looking facets organize the entire composition.

That difference is why the named card family deserves attention alongside the serial number. Ice Premieres and Exquisite Crystal are distinct objects within the same release, with different construction and visual priorities. The Makar preview's broad central frame makes that distinction visible without needing an autograph or memorabilia window to establish its identity.

Kaprizov and Misa put the handwriting in different settings

Kirill Kaprizov’s Glacial Graphs leaves the left half of a horizontal card open for the autograph. His Minnesota photograph fills the right, while the blue signature sits on a dark background below the set name. The border supplies the ice texture; the space immediately around the writing stays comparatively simple. The photograph and autograph have separate territory, making both easy to read.

Michael Misa’s Hand Stamped is much more theatrical. A large red seal-style shape dominates the foreground, with a gold signature across its center and Misa’s teal San Jose uniform behind it. Upper Deck describes a top-sheet die-cut and gold paint-pen autographs for this rookie set. It gives Misa a card built around the act of signing, while Kaprizov’s Glacial Graphs balances the handwriting against a larger player portrait. Autograph designs and construction

Cool Threads brings game-worn material back into the picture

Cool Threads returns to Ice for the first time in twenty years. Upper Deck identifies its jersey material as game-worn and includes autograph and patch versions. In Jimmy Snuggerud’s Auto Patch preview, the blue St. Louis jersey on the left connects visually with the blue, white and gold patch on the right. The signing area sits below the memorabilia rather than squeezing between the window and the player. Cool Threads manufacturer description

The patch and photograph reinforce a specific team identity, while the autograph anchors the lower edge. For a Snuggerud collection, that combination offers something materially different from an unsigned Ice Premieres rookie: game-worn material and a signature share one horizontal design. It is a strong example of why this rebuilt Ice should be judged by its individual cards, with the numbered rookie ladder providing one collecting route and the autograph programs opening several more.