Ranking the 2021-22 Upper Deck Series 1 Young Guns

2021-22 Upper Deck Series 1 includes 50 new Young Guns for your chasing pleasure. Below is my ranking of the desirability of all 50 cards. I rate the first six cards on my list as making up the top tier, and cards seven through 16 in the second tier.

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1. Trevor Zegras • C • Anaheim Ducks
   20 year-old Zegras has wowed the hockey world with his magical hands and has the potential to be an elite player.
2. Jamie Drysdale • D • Anaheim Ducks
   19 year-old Drysdale is already playing 20 minutes per game for Anaheim, and HockeyProspecting.com rates him as a near lock to eventually be a “star” producer (defined as at least .45 points per game for a defenseman).
3. Cole Caufield • W • Montreal Canadiens
   Caufield took the league by storm late in the 2021 season and in the playoffs, using his lethal shot to quickly rack up some goals and give Canadiens fans dreams of a superstar. His stock took a hit after a slow start and demotion this season, but he is back in the show and suddenly scoring at a rapid pace again (five goals in his last five games at this writing).
4. Spencer Knight • G • Florida Panthers
   Goaltenders tend to be brought along slowly, but Florida deemed Knight ready for the big time straight out of college, and he looked more than ready in his four game debut in the 2021 season. This season has been a bit rockier, but he has the tools to potentially be a star.
5. Jeremy Swayman • G • Boston Bruins
   Swayman’s first 33 NHL games have been impressive, as evidenced by a .931 save percentage and 1.87 GAA. According to former Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft, Swayman’s “ceiling is unlimited.”
6. Tanner Jeannot • W • Nashville Predators
   At 24, Jeannot is not the youngest of young guns, but the undrafted winger is showing a knack for scoring goals at the NHL level. Through 68 career games, he has already netted 23 markers.
7. Ukko-Pekka Luukonen • G • Buffalo Sabres
   It has been a bit of an up-and-down start to Luukonen’s career, but the huge goalie has shown flashes.
8. Shane Pinto • C • Ottawa Senators
   Pinto recorded an impressive seven points in 12 games in 2021. Unfortunately an injury stalled his 2021-22 campaign just five games in.
9. Zac Jones • D • New York Rangers
   Jones is a smaller defenseman but his “skating and his brain” stand out according to Corey Pronman.
10. Cam York • D • Philadelphia Flyers
    York was recently sent down to the AHL to get some more minutes but is expected to be a solid NHL defenseman.
11. Calen Addison • D • Minnesota Wild
    Addison is a smaller defenseman who gets high marks for his skating.
12. Ross Colton • C • Tampa Bay Lightning
    Including the playoffs, Colton has already played over 100 NHL games, and he has proven himself to be a useful player for the Lightning.
13. Joe Veleno • C • Detroit Red Wings
14. Rasmus Kupari • C • Los Angeles Kings
15. Michael Houser • G • Buffalo Sabres
16. Zegras/Caufield checklist
17. Radim Zohorna • F • Pittsburgh Penguins
18. Wade Allison • W • Philadelphia Flyers
19. Wyatt Kalynuk • D • Chicago Blackhawks
20. Joey Keane • D • Carolina Hurricanes
21. Jacob Bryson • D • Buffalo Sabres
22. Filip Gustavsson • G • Ottawa Senators
23. Kole Lind • W • Vancouver Canucks
24. Mattias Samuelsson • D • Buffalo Sabres
25. Tyce Thompson • W • New Jersey Devils
26. Logan Thompson • G • Vegas Golden Knights
27. Arttu Ruotsalainen • F • Buffalo Sabres
28. Alex Barre-Boulet • C • Tampa Bay Lightning
29. Mike Hardman • W • Chicago Blackhawks
30. Simon Benoit • D • Anaheim Ducks
31. Lane Pederson • C • Arizona Coyotes
32. Kyle Burroughs • D • Colorado Avalanche
33. Morgan Barron • C • New York Rangers
34. Dakota Joshua • C • St. Louis Blues
35. Parker Kelly • F • Ottawa Senators
36. Joshua Dunne • C • Columbus Blue Jackets
37. Marian Studenic • W • New Jersey Devils
38. Jeremy Davies • D • Nashville Predators
39. Jeffrey Viel • W • San Jose Sharks
40. Brinson Pasichnuk • D • San Jose Sharks
41. Tanner Laczynski • C • Philadelphia Flyers
42. Garrett Pilon • C • Washington Capitals
43. Matt Kiersted • D • Florida Panters
44. Daniel Walcott • D • Tampa Bay Lightning
45. Jack Ahcan • D • Boston Bruins
46. Keaton Middleton • D • Colorado Avalanche
47. Tarmo Reunanen • D • New York Rangers
48. Jackson Cates • C • Philadelphia Flyers
49. Marc Michaelis • F • Vancouver Canucks
50. Olle Alsing • D • Ottawa Senators
    
    

These rankings are based primarily on my interpretation of data and articles from Hockey Prospecting, The Hockey Writers, The Athletic, and various other media sites, as well as performance to date, player age (the younger the better), and draft position.