2024-25 Upper Deck Engrained Icons Hockey

2024-25 Upper Deck Engrained Icons Hockey is an all-retired release built around the sport’s stick history and a wood-forward card design. The checklist combines a 100-card base set, low-numbered parallels, memorabilia cards, and several one-of-one specialty pieces, with only one standard insert, Carved in Time.

Retired-player focus and wood-themed design

This release keeps the Engrained identity centered on hockey sticks, but the player selection is strictly from past NHL eras. The base set has 100 cards and uses a modern layout with a wood motif that matches the subject matter. For collectors who like a set to feel cohesive, that design choice matters: the visuals, the theme, and the checklist all point in the same direction rather than spreading across multiple unrelated concepts.

The parallel structure is compact and easy to follow. Standard base parallels are Ebony (/199), Mahogany (/75) and Rosewood (1/1), while Gold parallels are numbered to 49. That gives the base set a clear ladder from accessible to scarce without creating an oversized rainbow. If you collect by player, this is a set where focusing on one favorite retired name can be more practical than trying to chase every color across the board.

Autographs and multi-player combinations

Autographed versions appear on select cards and follow the same wood-based naming pattern, with Ebony (/49 or less), Mahogany (/10 or less) and Rosewood (/5 or less) versions. That makes the autograph side feel tied to the base design instead of standing apart as a separate concept. For collectors who prefer signed cards with a strong visual identity, this is one of the clearer ways to approach the set.

The multi-player cards extend that same idea into Duals (/49), Triples (/25) and Quads (/10), with Gold versions capped at 25, 15 and 5 copies respectively. Those combinations can be a good collecting lane if you enjoy pairing teammates, era links, or other themed groupings. Since the checklist is all retired players, multi-player cards may be especially appealing to collectors who build around historical connections rather than current-season rosters.

Memorabilia cards and stick-based relic themes

Memorabilia is one of the strongest collecting directions in Engrained Icons Hockey. Remnants uses a tiered structure with cards numbered to 100 or less, plus Gold parallels at 25 or fewer. Other relic sets include Complete Sticks (/49), Rough Cuts (/49), and Stickside Splinters (/25), each staying close to the release’s stick-centered identity.

Highlight Tapes adds another layered idea, mixing stick tape and a VHS tape design in single (/35) and dual (/25) versions, along with Gold parallels (/10). Complete Sticks also receives autograph versions (/25), which gives that subset an extra route for collectors who like a signed memorabilia card. If you collect relics for display or theme, these subsets offer distinct looks without drifting away from the set’s central subject.

One-of-ones and vintage-inspired inserts

A few chase pieces sit at the far end of the checklist. Distinguishing Marks, Stick Nameplates, and Dual Stick Nameplates are all one-of-ones, making them the strict scarcity anchors of the release. Those cards are likely to matter most to set builders who enjoy ultra-short-print specialties, but they also fit the broader stick narrative cleanly.

The autograph insert Beehive Portrait Signatures borrows from one of hockey collecting’s vintage-style looks, while Red Ink parallels are numbered to 5. For insert collectors, the key detail is that the release is restrained: Carved in Time is the only standard insert, and it is numbered to 100 on wood stock. That limited insert structure can appeal to collectors who prefer a focused checklist over a crowded one, since it keeps attention on the base cards, relics, and the specialty autograph and memorabilia subsets.