2026-27 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey's Young Guns class is shaping up around a genuinely strong group of rookies, led by sixth-overall pick Porter Martone.
Here's a practical guide to approaching which rookies are worth prioritizing once the set releases.
None of this requires prior familiarity with the incoming rookie class to follow.
Draft position and junior production are the two most checkable signals available before release.
A high draft position reflects a broad scouting consensus built over an entire season of evaluation, which makes it one of the more reliable early filters for narrowing a large rookie class down to genuine chase candidates. It's not a guarantee, but it's a real, checkable signal available before a single NHL game is played.
Cross-referencing draft position against junior production, like Martone's 98-point season, adds a second layer of confidence.
Since Series 1's class often favors players who got real NHL ice time late in the prior season rather than the newest draft class, some of the strongest chase candidates may already have actual NHL performance data to evaluate, not just junior or draft-day projections. That's a genuinely more reliable signal than projection alone.
Checking which rookies in the class actually played NHL games before the set releases is worth doing alongside draft-position research.
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Until 2026-27 Series 1 actually releases and the full checklist is public, treat any specific pre-release rankings as informed speculation rather than certainty. Draft position and junior stats are real signals, but a rookie class's true chase order often shifts once actual card pull rates and early-season NHL performance are both known.
Revisiting this list after release week gives a much more grounded picture than pre-release buzz alone.
A flexible watchlist of five or six names, rather than a single rigid top pick, tends to hold up better as new information comes in throughout the preseason and early regular season. Locking in on one name too early can mean missing a genuinely stronger candidate who wasn't on your radar at first.
Revisiting your watchlist every couple of weeks as training camp and preseason games unfold is a practical way to stay current without needing to constantly follow every scouting report.
This approach also spreads risk across several rookies rather than betting everything on a single name holding up.
Pre-season hype around a specific rookie can drive short-term Young Guns demand that doesn't always match how that player's career actually unfolds. Weighing draft pedigree and prospect rankings alongside genuine on-ice performance, rather than reacting purely to hype, tends to produce more durable collecting decisions.
Revisiting this list once real game action is underway is a practical way to separate lasting value from short-term speculation.
A well-balanced chase list usually mixes a couple of high-conviction picks with a few more speculative names, rather than concentrating entirely on either extreme. That balance spreads risk across multiple prospects instead of betting everything on a single rookie's career trajectory.
Adjusting the list as the season progresses and real performance data comes in keeps the chase realistic rather than locked into pre-season assumptions.
Checking back on this list periodically once the season is underway helps confirm whether the initial picks are holding up as expected.
A thoughtful, balanced approach to this list tends to age much better than one built purely around pre-season buzz alone.
Porter Martone, drafted sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.
98 points in 57 games with Brampton in the OHL.
The class typically favors players who debuted late in the prior NHL season.
50, within the set's 250-card base numbering.
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