Many collectors overlook minor league hockey cards – and that is a shame, because the 2023-24 AHL hockey card set by Upper Deck is definitely worth a look. It is a great mix of up-and-coming NHL prospects along with longtime AHL stars. The set consists of 100 base cards plus 50 short printed “Star Rookies,” and has a fabulous, old-school design.
The 2023-24 Upper Deck AHL set was released mid-July, well after the ’23-24 season had ended – and that is a good thing, as the later release date allowed Upper Deck to get up-to-date photos of players with their current teams. No outdated photos here.
Another great feature of the 2023-24 Upper Deck AHL set is its retro-esque design Cards are printed on low-gloss stock much like today’s O-Pee-Chee cards. Anyone who collected hockey cards back in the 1980s, the 1990s, or even the 2000s would love the look of this set.
A box of 2023-24 Upper Deck AHL costs about $60 for a 12-pack box. Each box has 10 cards, with an average of one autographed card and two numbered parallels per box.
I recently opened a box of 2023-24 AHL. Let’s take a look at what was inside.
93 Base Cards
My box had 93 base cards, with zero doubles – giving me 93% of a 100-card base set. With only 7 cards to go, I will be definitely finishing this base set.
If the design of the ’23-24 AHL cards looks familiar to you, but you can’t quite figure out why, maybe this hint will help:
No? Well then, how about now…?
That’s right, this set’s design is basically the 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee Hockey set design – but UPSIDE DOWN! That’s OK, because 1982-83 is a great-looking set, so I don’t mind that the 2023-24 AHL set heavily borrows its look from it.
The card backs have up to two years of AHL stats, career AHL totals, a short biographical blurb, vitals like height and weight, and a color photo. The card stock used on these is pretty much the same stock that Upper Deck used on its 2006-07 Fleer Hockey set, with very little gloss on the front and a non-glossy, paper-y feeling back.
12 Star Rookies
Once upon a time, Upper Deck would seed the short-printed “Star Rookies” one in every other pack, making completing a full AHL set a Sisyphean task. But then Upper Deck shook things up in its 2021-22 AHL set by seeding Star Rookies one per pack. (That year, Upper Deck also reduced the base card set from 150 cards to 100 cards.)
Fortunately, Upper Deck continued this great formula with its 2023-24 AHL set. There are 50 Star Rookies to collect, and you get one per pack, meaning that you could realistically finish the rookies set with five boxes…or wait until the set is sold on e-Pack, with the short-printed cards eventually ending up on COMC.
Inserts
A box has one autographed card, two numbered parallels, and a few other retro-inspired insert cards.
4 AHL Throwbacks Inserts
AHL Throwbacks is an 18-card insert set of players who have spent many years in the “A.” Most collectors will probably recognize that this set draws its look from the 1985-86 Topps Hockey set. My box had 4 AHL Throwbacks cards.
5 Tendys Inserts
Tendy’s is another insert set that looks like it is from the 1980s. The set focuses on the top goalies in the AHL. I got 5 of these Tendys inserts in my box of 2023-24 AHL.
3 Hot Shots
Hot Shots is a 12-card insert set featuring some of the top prospects in the AHL who are bound for NHL careers. My box had 3 of these inserts.
1 Base Red Stripes Parallel /76
Red Parallel versions of the base cards are numbered out of 76. Why 76? No idea. This Mitchell Stephens card is numbered 43/76. There are also “Blue Star” Parallels that have blue borders with white stars.
1 Hot Shot Red Stripes Parallel /99
Red Border Parallels of the inserts are numbered out of 99, which seems like a more reasonable number than 76, but whatever. Anyway, this Fabian Lysell “Hot Shots” card is numbered 23/99.
1 Autographed Card
I guess you could call this the “hit” in a box of AHL cards. Each box has an autographed card, which is signed on a sticker and later applied to the card. I got an autograph of Jake Christiansen, who has split the past three seasons between the NHL and the AHL.
There is a lot to love about the 2023-24 Upper Deck AHL set – assuming that you love minor league hockey cards, of course. At around $60, a box is affordable, and you would only need two boxes to put together a base set. And when the set hits e-Pack and COMC, it shouldn’t be too hard to find any remaining Star Rookies that you might want.
One autograph per box also makes a box of AHL cards worth a try, as there is a good chance that the autograph is of a player who will end up in The Show – or at the very least, has already played some games in the NHL.
Likewise, the design of the set itself as well as the insert sets look great, and the low-gloss, papery cardstock used for these cards just feels right.
If minor league hockey cards are your jam – or you like collecting “pre-RCs” of future NHLers, then you will want to collect the 2023-24 Upper Deck AHL set.
Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group, listen to the Podcast, subscribe to the Newsletter and YouTube Channel, and support this site at the Online Shop.
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk. ■
Related Posts:
