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Mike Cranwell

I've been building teams and drafting entire leagues since long car rides when I was 12 years old. Grew up playing competitive hockey (AA, AAA, high school), played minor league pro football (think ECHL) for parts of two seasons, and was a Jr. hockey scout for six years. I also wrote for Bleacher Report for two years. I've been a pro athlete and know what it takes to get there. I've been in the boardrooms, been part of the decision-making process when it comes to signings, trades, and deciding which players will be on your team. Now in the corporate world, I headhunt and negotiate key corporate and tech signings. Though the jersey may be different, it's all the same beast.

Pittsburgh Penguins Training Camp Roster: What to Watch For

Mike Cranwell | September 21, 2023

It’s the most…wonderful time…of the year! (You’ll also hear me say this at the trade deadline.) With training camp starting this week, the 2023-24 NHL season is on the horizon,…

Categories Pittsburgh Penguins, Season Previews

Penguins’ Reilly Smith: What He Brings to the Team

Mike Cranwell | September 21, 2023

It wasn’t a blockbuster, however it was meaningful. Has anyone talked about it though? I cannot find any proper analysis of the Reilly Smith trade to Pittsburgh from this offseason.…

Categories Pittsburgh Penguins

Team Canada Could Be Unbeatable at 2025 World Cup of Hockey

Mike Cranwell | September 16, 2023

As a reader, these are some of my absolute favorite articles to read. My hope is to bring you that same excitement and enjoyment as you read this. It’s finally…

Categories International Hockey, World Cup

Penguins’ Crosby & Malkin Both Have Shot at 100 Points

Mike Cranwell | September 12, 2023

During every NHL offseason, the attempt to come up with discussion topics inevitably leads to hyperbole being thrown out into the world. This is because these topics tend to be…

Categories Advanced Stats, Pittsburgh Penguins, Previews and Predictions

Roster Rebuild: Winnipeg Jets Retool on the Fly

Mike Cranwell | September 7, 2023

You might see this article and wonder, “Why is the Pittsburgh Penguins writer writing about the Winnipeg Jets?” As someone born in northern Manitoba (shoutout to Thompson and Gilbert Plains),…

Categories Winnipeg Jets

Pittsburgh Penguins Scouting Report: What to Watch for This Year

Mike Cranwell | September 2, 2023

So here we are mid-summer, not much was happening in hockey, and I was missing the game. Since there wasn’t enough time to watch Canada Cup 1972 or 1987, I…

Categories Pittsburgh Penguins, Season Previews

Penguins Won Erik Karlsson Blockbuster Trade

Mike Cranwell | August 7, 2023

Well, it finally happened. The San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off the second blockbuster trade of the NHL offseason. For fun, they threw the Montreal Canadians into the…

Categories NHL Trade Analysis, Pittsburgh Penguins

Roster Rebuild: How the Penguins Can Fit Karlsson & Matthews

Mike Cranwell | August 4, 2023

“For people who think we’re going to eat 50% of his contract and all this type of stuff, it’s probably not going to happen,” – Mike Grier, San Jose Sharks…

Categories Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Could Be a Serious Destination for Matthews in 2024-25

Mike Cranwell | July 27, 2023

Like The Magnificent One, Yags, Sid the Kid, and Gino in Pittsburgh, Auston Matthews is similarly revered and aptly named by fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The moniker AM34…

Categories Editor's Choice, Pittsburgh Penguins

Roster Rebuild: Creating Cap Space for the Penguins

Mike Cranwell | July 15, 2023

Your friendly neighborhood architect is back with another edition of Roster Rebuild, and with good reason – the Pittsburgh Penguins are over the cap! To be precise, according to CapFriendly,…

Categories Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Really Don’t Need Erik Karlsson

Mike Cranwell | July 9, 2023

For the past week or so, the rumour mill has run rampant with the idea of Erik Karlsson being traded from San Jose. One of the two teams featured in…

Categories Editor's Choice, Pittsburgh Penguins, Trades Contracts and Transactions

Penguins Should Target Duchene in Free Agency

Mike Cranwell | July 1, 2023

One of the players I’ve been thinking about this week has been Matt Duchene and now it seems he has become available after the Nashville Predators chose to buy-out the…

Categories Pittsburgh Penguins
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