2025-26

Puck Junk Podcast: 2025-26 Artifacts Hockey Cards

Plus: Questions for the 2025-26 Season
Episode #228: October 8, 2025

Sal Barry and Clemente Lisi look at the new 2025-26 Artifacts Hockey cards and discuss the pros and cons of this impossible-to-complete set. Plus, Topps starts making hockey cards again, the Chantilly Show might need a new home, and our big questions for the 2025-26 NHL season. It’s 133 minutes of hockey goodness. The YouTube version of the podcast features video and photos. 

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Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
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or Transistor.

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Clemente’s Corner: Matthew Schaefer Ready to Anchor Islanders’ Future

When the New York Islanders stepped up to the podium at the 2025 NHL Draft, they didn’t just select a defenseman — they chose resilience.

Matthew Schaefer, an elite two-way blueliner from Ontario, was taken No. 1 overall this past June. At 6-foot-1 and loaded with skills that include smooth skating and crisp passing, Schaefer checks every box for a franchise looking to make the playoffs this season and be relevant again.  

But his game is only part of the story. The 17-year-old endured a year that would shake anyone – overcoming mono and sustaining a broken collarbone at the 2025 World Junior Championships. It also included the deaths – just months apart – of his mother and his billet mom. On draft night, he kissed a pink breast cancer ribbon stitched into his Islanders jersey.

Schaefer models his game after Cale Makar, but his mentality may be even more important to the Isles’ rebuild. Now, as he eyes his first NHL training camp, I caught up with Schaefer at the annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase, co-sponsored by Upper Deck, at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex near Washington, D.C.

Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: Matthew Schaefer Ready to Anchor Islanders’ Future”

2025-26 MVP Hockey Box Break

In recent history, MVP has been Upper Deck’s first hockey card set of the season, usually hitting shelves in August or September. The 2025-26 MVP set was released on July 30 – almost 10 weeks(!) before the start of the season. MVP gives you a lot of bang for your buck. A box costs about $60 USD or $90 CDN and has 20 eight-card packs. Each pack has an insert card and it is possible to pull a serial-numbered card, too. 

Let’s take a look at what’s inside a box of 2025-26 MVP Hockey cards. 

Continue reading “2025-26 MVP Hockey Box Break”

Puck Junk Podcast: 2025 NHL Draft & Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Episode #220: July 3, 2025

In Episode #220, Sal and Tim discuss the 2025 NHL Draft, including some of the best players – and the best celebrity appearances – at the league’s “decentralized” draft. They also talk about the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025 and their hockey cards. It’s 82 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters, so you can skip to your favorite part.

Links
NHL DRAFT: Rookie Cards for No. 1 Picks (Sports Collectors Digest)
Women’s Hockey Cards on InstaGram

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

Support 
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

Puck Junk Podcast: Interview with Paul Zickler of Upper Deck

Plus: UD’s New RPA Authentication
Episode #218: May 30, 2025

Sal Barry talks with Paul Zickler, the Director of Sports Brands at Upper Deck, about Upper Deck’s new Rookie Patch Auto Authentication. The feature will deter the practice of “patch swapping” on high-end rookie cards starting with the 2023-24 The Cup. Zickler also talks about the success of PWHL trading cards and plans for the next release, future Four Nations Face-Off cards, Alex Ovechkin autographs in 2024-25 Extended Series, and a look at 2025-26 Upper Deck Series One. It’s 37 minutes of hockey goodness – now with chapters so you can skip to your favorite parts. 

Links
Upper Deck Unveils New Feature to Combat Fraud (Sports Collectors Digest)
The Authority website (TheAuthority.com)
Can Ovechkin Save Extended Series? (Puck Junk)
2024-25 Upper Deck Extended Series Box Break (Puck Junk)

Rookie cards in 2023-24 The Cup will come slabbed and feature a serial number to verify its authenticity at TheAuthority.com website.

Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X @PuckJunk, Instagram @PuckJunk & Bluesky @puckjunk
Follow Tim Parish on X @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X @ClementeLisi. 
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube. 

Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,  
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.

Connect 
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.

Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel. 

Support 
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■