Collector Club
As a die-hard Nottingham Panthers fan and ice hockey card collector, I was always going to be all over the Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Card set from Blindside Trading Cards.
Being able to rip a brand-new premium set dedicated to my own EIHL team is a real novelty, especially as someone who usually spends an obscene amount of money on Upper Deck’s NHL products in the hopes of pulling New York Islander cards.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of the review, I will say that this Blaster Box did not disappoint, and while there are a few rough edges here and there, this 2025/26 set genuinely feels like a big step forward for Blindside as a leading trading card brand.
Product overview and team coverage
The Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Cards feature over 80 unique cards to collect. Each pack contains 6 random cards, with an average of 3 base cards, 2 uncommon cards and 1 rare or ultra rare card. Collectors are urged to look out for rare Gold Edition All-Stars, brand-new Hometown cards, the Classic Collection crossover and many more exciting new and returning lines in this set.
At the time of writing this review there are multiple sets available on their online store to purchase for EIHL teams including Manchester Storm, Coventry Blaze, Guildford Flames, Belfast Giants, Dundee Stars and Cardiff Devils, although this specific Panthers set is the newest in the range.
It’s our understanding that Blindside produces cards for every EIHL team, however, there was nothing for Fife Flyers and Glasgow Clan (sorry guys). Interestingly, there are also cards currently for sale for NIHL ice hockey teams Haringey Huskies and Berkshire Bees, as well as para ice hockey club Manchester Mayhem.
My focus here for this review, though, is very much on the Nottingham Panthers 2025/26 Blaster Box.
Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One – Packaging and first impressions
First impressions on the new Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 set were strong. This year has seen Blindside Trading Cards invest extensively in production and packaging, and it is clear that this product has a distinctly premium feel in comparison to previous packs I have opened from the company.
In the past, cards came in paper packs which didn’t have that premium feel. Now, the cards are sealed in more traditional foil packaging with genuinely great artwork on them. They feel less generic and much closer to what I would expect from any top-tier trading card manufacturer.
Whilst there was no informational text on the (very nicely presented) Blaster Box itself, there was a good chunk of text on the back of the foil packs explaining what collectors can expect from the set, which is something I always hope to see. On average each pack contains 6 random cards, with 3 base cards, 2 uncommon cards and 1 rare or ultra rare card, which matched my experience pretty well.
I went into this box completely blind, not looking at what cards are available on Blindside’s online checklist beforehand, and it is fair to say I was not disappointed with what I pulled.
Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One – Inserts and hit potential
There are 26 different types of cards that can be pulled in this specific set, ranging from traditional base cards all the way through to the most sought-after cards, which in my eyes are the Signature Series, exclusive autos, dynamic duos and Leadership cards, all of which feature autographs from the players themselves.
Unfortunately, autograph cards in this set are not on-card autos, as Blindside use stickers instead. That said, the stickers are nicely presented with a Blindside logo for authenticity, so they still feel considered and special.
Some of the inserts I managed to pull in this set were absolutely spectacular to look at and felt high quality. The Bryan Lemos and Jordan Kelsall Ice Breakers inserts were the first to really grab my attention, with a striking bright blue cracked ice holofoil effect. If you have collected any sort of Upper Deck ice hockey cards over the last few years, you will recognise some very similar cards in this set. That is not an insult to Blindside at all. Upper Deck are the best out there for ice hockey trading cards, so it is only natural that Blindside would loosely emulate some of their most popular designs.
The Mitch Fossier Portraits insert and Brandan Harris Canvas Collection cards gave me the strongest Upper Deck vibes, but they were both well designed despite looking similar in style to cards I’ve seen in the past from other companies.
I was also lucky enough to pull one of the major chase cards advertised in this year’s set, an All Star Chase Pearson card. It was a nice hit and certainly one of the headline cards, although if I’m being honest visually it did not feel too dissimilar to some of the other inserts, or even certain base cards. A little more pizzazz and visual distinction would make those big chase cards feel even more special.
Blindside’s Hometown insert cards – the true standout of the set
One new addition to the 2025–26 sets this year is the Hometown cards, which are genuinely the headliner of the set for me. Blindside have taken a handful of players and placed them atop wonderfully drawn artwork of their hometowns, and the end result is honestly brilliant.
I was lucky enough to pull Panthers and Great Britain captain Ollie Betteridge, who is from Nottingham. That meant I got to enjoy a card that featured local landmarks such as the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham Castle, Wollaton Park and the Robin Hood statue. It is exactly the kind of thoughtful, locally rooted design that makes EIHL-specific sets feel special in a way that NHL products never can for UK fans. If I had to liken these cards to anything, they’d be Panini Donruss Downtown cards, which are massively sought after.
The only downside for me was that I pulled three Ollie Betteridge cards in the pack when there were four other Hometown cards I could have landed. That’s just the luck of the draw, but it’s hard not to notice duplicates when you’re chasing variety.
Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Card – Artwork hits and misses
Overall, the artwork across the inserts is a massive positive. It was great to see the return of Classic cards, the quality of the imagery used in these is fantastic. It did not go unnoticed that the Nottingham Panthers logos had been changed on these cards to match the team’s logo at the time. It is those little touches that make this a really great set.
The one real disappointment for me in terms of artwork was the 16 Bit cards. The idea clearly comes from Upper Deck’s Allure sets, but the execution here did not quite land. The players on the cards looked more like they had been blurred using a photo editing tool, rather than turned into 16 bit video game characters. The thought was there and I like the concept, but the finish missed ever so slightly.
Text, statistics and confusing rarity symbols
I have to give a big shout out to Blindside for the lengths they went to with the text on the back of each card. It is very easy to see some sets half-arse this, with the bare minimum on the reverse. Here, both inserts and base cards had great flavour text that genuinely taught me more about most players than I previously knew, with their physical and playing stats, as well as a bit of history about their career.
The only thing that baffled me was the rarity symbols. Every card had a unique symbol in the bottom left-hand corner denoting rarity. Maybe it is because I have not collected too many Blindside cards before, but I could not find a key anywhere (online or within the product) that explained the meaning behind each symbol. In Blindside’s defence, it was easy enough to work out that the circle was a base card and triangles were ultra-rares. It was the cards in between that I got stuck on. A simple rarity guide on the box, foil packs or website would fix this instantly.
Value for money and overall experience
For a very well-priced set with 8 packs in a box, I genuinely felt like I was getting a lot for my money. Cards from industry leaders such as Topps, Panini and Upper Deck can sometimes leave you feeling a bit short-changed, with blaster boxes that do not feature anything of real note. Here, I felt like I almost pulled one of every insert except for the ultra-rare signed cards.
As a die-hard Nottingham Panthers and ice hockey card collector, I honestly cannot praise this product enough. It is quite clear that Blindside Cards is evolving as a company and that their products are quickly becoming more polished as the years go on.
I will be investing in more Nottingham Panthers packs in the very near future as I try to complete the full set, which is saying something, as I have traditionally been an autograph hunter rather than a completionist. And after that, who knows, I might even buy a rival team’s set. That is how much I enjoyed opening these Blindside packs!
Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Card – Pros and cons
There was plenty to take away from this pack opening, mainly good and a little bad! But it’s almost ALL positives.
Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Card Pros:
- Strong, upgraded packaging with premium-feeling foil packs
- Over 80 unique cards and 26 card types in the Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One set
- Brilliant insert designs, especially Ice Breakers, Portraits and Canvas Collection
- Hometown cards are genuine showstoppers, with brilliant local artwork
- Little touches were great, like classic cards featuring era-accurate Nottingham Panthers logos
- Excellent flavour text on the back of base and insert cards, with proper stats and career details
- Very good value for money, with plenty of inserts and variety across 8 packs
Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Card Cons:
- This set features sticker autos rather than on-card autographs
- 16 Bit cards do not quite deliver on the retro video game concept and look more blurred than pixelated
- All Star cards, while a big hit, do not visually stand out as much as it could from other inserts
- No clear rarity key for the symbols on each card
Favourite pulls from our Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Trading Card Blaster Box
To wrap up, here are my personal favourites from this Blaster Box:
- Milique Martelly – Signature Series card (SS-4)
- Chase Pearson – All Star card (AS-2)
- Ollie Betteridge – Hometown card (HT-2)
- David Noël – Prism card (PR-2)
If you support an EIHL team and enjoy the idea of collecting cards that feel tailored to your club and your league, ANY of the sets from Blindside Trading Cards are worth your investing in.
If like me, you’re a Nottingham Panthers fan, then the Nottingham Panthers 2025–26 Series One Blaster Box is well and truly worth your time and money. Get your hands on these sets before they sell out.
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