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Ten 2023-24 NHL Breakout Players With A Young Guns Rookie Card

Upper Deck Young Guns rookie cards are among the hobby’s most coveted. Here we try to find some of the best young hockey players to invest in.

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The NHL 2023-24 season is fast approaching, and now is the time to start buying Upper Deck Young Guns rookie cards.

This list showcases ten potential breakout NHL players for the 2023-2024 season who have a Young Guns rookie card.

I recommend buying these hockey cards in graded PSA 10 examples.

Last season, players like Matthew Tkachuk, Ramus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Clayton Keller, and others had breakout seasons.

As a result, their Upper Deck Young Guns rookie cards saw an all-time high in value.

Here are my top 10 potential players who could break out in the 2023-24 season, featuring an Upper Deck Young Guns (YG) rookie card.

#1 – Juraj Slafkovsky – 2022-23 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #451

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Juraj Slafkovsky was the number one overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft selected by the Montreal Canadiens.

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Slafkovsky struggled with injuries in his first professional NHL season, playing 39 games and scoring only 10 points.

He will turn 20 in March 2024, so he still has time to develop.

His Upper Deck Young Guns rookie card in a PSA 10 example sell for around $180-$200.

A total of only 247 Gem-Mint PSA 10 graded copies exist.

Slafkovsky requires some patience, but he has tremendous potential to be a star in the long term. 

#2 – Lukas Reichel – 2022-23 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #235

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Lukas Reichel is a raw talent who has barely played in the NHL in two years but has dominated the AHL level.

Reichel is only 21 years old, and this season, he seems poised to get consistent playing time with generational rookie superstar Connor Bedard playing along the same line as him.

Reichel’s PSA 10 Upper Deck Young Guns rookie sells for around $120 to $130.

A total of only 244 perfect Gem-Mint PSA 10 examples exist.

Reichel is poised for a breakout season with the Chicago Blackhawks and should draw a lot of attention playing with Bedard.

Bedard’s Young Guns rookie card is a part of the upcoming 2024 Upper Deck Series 2 set.

#3 – Lucas Raymond 2021-22 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #464

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Lucas Raymond excelled as a rookie in 2021-22 but had a sophomore slump last year with a slight drop-off in production.

This season, Raymond should be at his best thus far early in his career, as he is projected to be on the starting line for the Detroit Red Wings and will be playing with his new teammate, Alex DeBrincat.

Raymond turns just 22 years old in March of 2024, and his Upper Deck Young Guns rookie in a PSA 10 example is a great buy right now before the season.

PSA 10 copies sell for around $60 to $75 at eBay auctions.

In his rookie season, this same card was $125+, which could quickly happen again.

Raymond is a safe bet to get back on track.

#4 – Alex Newhook – 2021-22 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #461

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Alex Newhook was traded this off-season to the Montreal Canadiens.

He previously won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2021-22 season.

Many NHL experts say that the Canadiens paid a premium price when acquiring Newhook, which means they have high hopes for him.

His overall scoring numbers should improve with the Canadiens, especially when playing with Cole Caufield.

PSA 10 copies of Newhook’s Upper Deck Young Guns rookie can be found for around $60 to $70 at eBay auctions.

Newhook has some sneaky upside to improve his overall numbers and seems like a low-risk buy.

#5 – Quinton Byfield 2021-22 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #488

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Quinton Byfield recently turned 21 years old and will already be playing in parts of his 4th NHL professional season.

Byfield had 23 points in 53 games played last year. Many Los Angeles Kings fans have been waiting for him to break out, and this could be the year.

He has tremendous size at 6’5″ tall, and his advanced metrics show he is poised for a big jump in his overall scoring numbers.

His PSA 10 Upper Deck Young Guns rookie card is valued at around $70.

Byfield has too much potential to be selling for this amount, as this card has the potential to double in value this season quickly.

#6 – Kent Johnson – 2022-23 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #209

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Kent Johnson scored 40 points last season as a rookie in 79 games.

His Upper Deck Young Guns rookie card was a key chase rookie hockey card last season.

Johnson turns just 21 years old this October and still has a chance to be one of the faces of the franchise for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Johnson should play more this season, and his overall number should gradually improve.

PSA 10 graded copies have sold at around $65 to $80 at recent eBay auctions.

Only 237 of these have been graded a PSA 10.

Johnson still has a ton more upside and could build on a rookie season from last year.

#7 – Jack Quinn – 2022-23 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #204

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Jack Quinn turns 22 in about two weeks and is one of the up-and-coming players on the Buffalo Sabres.

Quinn scored 37 points in 75 games played last year. Dylan Cozens had the best season of his career with the Sabres last year.

Look for Quinn to have a bigger impact this season than last season.

His Upper Deck Young Guns rookie card is featured in the 2022 Upper Deck hockey set, and only 221 have been graded a PSA 10.

PSA 10 copies have been selling in the $75 to $80 range at recent eBay auctions.

One thing to monitor with him is that he is due back from an injury in December or January, or he would be rated much higher on this list.

Quinn is a low-risk buy with good short-term and long-term upside.

#8 – William Eklund – 2021-22 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #475

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William Eklund should get the opportunity for a ton of playing time with the San Jose Sharks this season, especially in the second half of the season.

He turns just 21 years old this October. He’s only had two brief stints in the NHL thus far in his first two years, but this year should be his first full season.

This one will also require some time and patience, but he has tremendous upside.

His PSA 10 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie can be found for about $70 on eBay.

Only 333 of these have been graded a PSA 10. Eklund is a great potential breakout sleeper candidate and seems like a low-risk buy.

#9 – Bowen Byram – 2020-21 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #205

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Bowen Byram is projected to play on the second line of defenseman with the Colorado Avalanche this season.

He is only 22 years old and has already won a Stanley Cup in his career.

Byram doesn’t put up eye-popping numbers for a defenseman but could improve his point totals this season.

His Upper Deck Young Guns PSA 10 rookie is already approaching the $100 value this off-season.

Byram’s rookie card is a low-risk buy of a player playing on a stacked team!

#10 – Shane Pinto – 2021-22 Upper Deck Young Guns Rookie #246

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Shane Pinto turns 23 years old this November, and last season was his first full season in the NHL. He scored 35 points in 82 games.

The Ottawa Senators traded Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings this off-season, which should open up more playing time for Pinto this season.

Look for Pinto to build on a solid season from last year and improve his numbers more this year.

His PSA 10 2021-2022 Upper Deck Young Guns rookie can be bought for a bargain price of $40 to $50 shipped at recent eBay auctions.

Last season, this same card was closer to $100.

Pinto is a great buy low with a sneaky good upside.

Breakout NHL Players – Honorable Mentions With Upper Deck Young Guns Cards

Dylan Guenther

Marco Rossi

Anton Lundell

Pyotr Kochetkov

Morgan Geekie

Mason McTavish

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