Upper Deck changed its configuration for SPx with its 2024-25 SPx set. Once upon a time, a box of SPx had more than just a handful of cards. Back in 2015-16, a box of SPx hockey cards had 10 packs, each with four cards, for a total of 40 cards. The next season, SPx downsized the number of cards you got in a box significantly, lowering the quantity while raising the quality. Here’s how many cards SPx had over the past seven seasons: 

• • • 2016-17 SPx – four cards per box
    • 2017-18 SPx – four cards per box
    • 2018-19 SPx – four cards per box
    • 2019-20 SPx – four cards per box
    • 2021-22 SPx – four cards per box
    • 2022-23 SPx – five cards per box
    • 2023-24 SPx – five cards per box

As you can see, you didn’t get a lot of cards for your money, but all of the cards were some sort of “hit” – be it an autograph, a jersey card, a low-numbered insert, or the like. 

This year, Upper Deck upped the number of cards in a box of SPx, including many more base cards in a box so you can actually build the base set. A box of 2024-25 SPx contains eight packs, each with three cards, for a total of 24 cards. Each pack has one base card plus two other cards – be it a rookie card, parallel, or insert. 

Let’s see what was inside my box of 2024-25 SPx Hockey: 

8 Base Cards

The first 100 cards in 2024-25 SPx is the base set. I got one base card in each of my eight packs. Base cards feature a cutout player photo superimposed over a blue foil background. I like the look of these cards, but I feel like too much of the design is used for the player’s uniform number on the left. 

The back of the card has the player’s stats from the 2023-24 season, career totals, vitals like height and weight, and a short text blurb. Interestingly, the photo used on the back is actually different than the photo on the front.

Also, the cards I got in my packs were numbers 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, and 100, so the collation seems a bit “sticky” if I got eight cards in a row. 

4 SPx Rookies

Cards 101 to 160 are the SPx Rookies. Rookie cards are found one in every two packs, and I got four of them: Will Smith (Sharks), Logan Morrison (Kraken), Cameron Crotty (Utah HC), Devin Cooley (Sharks…again). 

Unlike the base set, the base rookie cards use the same photo on the front and back of the cards. 

Parallels

It’s an Upper Deck set, so of course there are going to be parallels. 

2 Silver Parallels

Silver Parallels are not serial-numbered. You get one in every four packs. I got Noah Dobson (Islanders) and Cale Makar (Avalanche)

1 Silver Parallel Rookie

Silver Parallel Rookies are found one per box. This Silver Parallel Rookie is of Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets). 

1 Gold Parallel

Gold Parallels are also not serial-numbered. You find one of these in every 12 packs, so lucky me? I got William Eklund of the Sharks. Oy! What’s with all the Sharks?

Inserts

Some of the inserts in 2024-25 SPx are pretty snazzy. 

2 Finite Inserts

Finite cards are serial numbered out of 999 and have a giant silver SPx logo on the left side. You get two of these per box. The two Finite inserts in my box were of Mavrik Bourque (Stars) and Shakir Mukhamadullin (Sharks, LOL!). 

2 Holoview F/X Rookie Inserts 

Now, these Holoview F/X Rookie cards are nice! Holoview F/X Rookie cards are printed on PETG plastic and have a see-through area that is probably more prismatic than holographic. Semantics, I know. Upper Deck actually refers to these as “simulated holograms.” Regardless, the Holoview F/X Rookie cards look great in-hand. 

Even the backs of these cards look spiffy. 

Anyway, odds of pulling a Holoview F/X Rookie are one in seven packs, so again I beat the odds by getting two of these in my box. I got Conor Geekie (Lightning) and Will Smith (Sharks…and that’s five Sharks for those of you keeping track. But I guess I can’t complain about getting TWO different Will Smith cards in one box.) 

1 Game Film Insert 

Game Film inserts are also printed on PETG plastic and also use see-through, prismatic imagery. As someone who studied both traditional photography AND traditional filmmaking in college, any insert card that uses a film-frame or a film-negative design gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. (Yes, I am old enough to have made photographic prints in a darkroom and edit movie films with splicing tools.) My Game Film insert is of Brock Boeser of the Canucks. You get one of these in about every 14 packs. Dare I try and build this insert set? 

1 Game Film Blue Insert

Game Film Blue parallel inserts are serial numbered. This Nathan MacKinnon Game Film Blue card is numbered 174/199. 

1 Bound for Glory Insert

Bound For Glory inserts, again, are printed on PETG plastic and feature prismatic portraits of the pictured player. (Say that four times fast). In other words, these use the same gimmicks as the Holoview F/X cards but with a different design. 

The Bound For Glory card in my box of 2024-25 SPx is of Matvei Michkov (Flyers). 

By the way, the Bound for Glory and the Holoview F/X cards do not look good scanned. I took photos of these cards, which look better. But these cards look best when viewed in person. 

1 SuperScripts Rookie Gold 

The front of the box of 2024-25 SPx states”Look for your favorite SPx inserts and hard-signed autographs!” But this card is, in fact, signed on a sticker. I don’t necessarily mind sticker autographs, though I don’t like how the sticker overlaps the player. But why boast “hard-signed autographs” if Upper Deck knows it is probably going to use stickers? 

Anyway, this Marat Khusnutdinov SuperScripts Rookie Gold card is numbered 50/99. After playing 16 games for the Wild in 2023-24, Khusnutdinov split the 2024-25 season between the Wild and the Bruins, scoring 5 goals and 7 assists in 75 games between the two clubs. 

Maybe my opinion of 2024-25 SPx Hockey is a bit skewed because I got an autographed rookie card in my box. Autographs are not guaranteed one per box like the good old days of the 2010s. But swaying my opinion more is the eye-catching, though not perfect, base set design and the cool “simulated hologram” inserts like Holoview F/X Rookies and Game Film. The set launched at a price point of around $110 USD per box but has since dropped down a bit in price to $95 USD. It might be a fun break if you like the inserts or want to get some of the top rookies from the 2024-25 season. Four rookie cards per box – five with the Silver Rookie Parallel – is pretty good in this era. 

Will you be collecting 2024-25 SPX hockey cards? Or just picking up cards of your favorite teams and players? Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this set. 

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