Skip to content
The Hockey Writers
  • Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metro Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL News
  • Olympics
  • THW on YouTube
  • NHL Rumors
  • Substack
  • Archives
  • More…
    • World Juniors
    • 2025 NHL Draft
    • Trade Deadline
    • HockeyPedia
    • NHL Prospects
    • PWHL
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • NHL Salary Cap Information
    • Milestone Tracker
    • Merch Shop
    • CHL
      • OHL
      • QMJHL
      • WHL
    • Columns
    • Podcasts
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Season Previews
    • Write for us
    • THW on YouTube
The Hockey Writers
  • Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metro Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL News
  • Olympics
  • THW on YouTube
  • NHL Rumors
  • Substack
  • Archives
  • More…
    • World Juniors
    • 2025 NHL Draft
    • Trade Deadline
    • HockeyPedia
    • NHL Prospects
    • PWHL
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • NHL Salary Cap Information
    • Milestone Tracker
    • Merch Shop
    • CHL
      • OHL
      • QMJHL
      • WHL
    • Columns
    • Podcasts
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Season Previews
    • Write for us
    • THW on YouTube

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.

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

Roster Rebuild: Penguins Can Contend With the Right Moves

Mike Cranwell | June 30, 2023

What you’re about to read is indeed taking a team of players that multiple teams of builders have dedicated their life in that moment to building…and I’m going to offer…

Categories Editor's Choice, Pittsburgh Penguins
Newer posts
← Previous Page1 Page2

Editor’s Choices

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Nylander, Matthews, van Riemsdyk & Laughton

NHL Rumors: Rangers Protect Miller, Capitals Circle Panarin, Kadri in Play

Latest from THW

Devils Place Luke Hughes on Long-Term Injured Reserve

The Blackhawks Can’t Be Sellers at the 2026 Trade Deadline

Maple Leafs Trade Targets: Hamilton, Schenn & Soucy

Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho’s Sneaky Top-20 NHL Point Season

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Brothers in the NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins’ 10 Best Defensemen in Team History

Latest Rankings & Lists

Every NHL Team’s Top Prospect – 2025-26 Midseason Update

2026 NHL Draft: Baracchini’s Top 64 January Rankings

The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Update

Search THW

Links

  • Write for THW
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Standards
  • Substack Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Privacy Statement
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Writers’ Login

About THW…

Founded in 2009, and 100% Canadian-owned, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read millions of times every month.

Popular Posts

Salary Cap Information
Hockey 101
The Ultimate Hockey Dictionary
NHL Team Origins
Teams That Never Won the Stanley Cup
The Original 6
Jerseys from Defunct NHL Clubs
The Gordie Howe Hat Trick
Our Wayne Gretzky Quiz
© 2026 The Hockey Writers
  • Home
  • NHL Teams
  • THW Headlines
  • Olympics Coverage
  • THW on YouTube
  • NHL News
  • Latest NHL Rumors
  • THW Substack
  • THW Archives
  • 2025 NHL Entry Draft
  • NHL Prospects
  • Trade Deadline
  • HockeyPedia
  • PWHL
  • Milestone Tracker
  • Team Salary Cap Info
  • Write for THW
  • NHL Entry Draft
  • THW on YouTube
  • THW Bluesky
  • THW Twitter
  • THW Facebook
  • THW Mastodon

Recent Posts

  • Devils Place Luke Hughes on Long-Term Injured Reserve
  • The Blackhawks Can’t Be Sellers at the 2026 Trade Deadline
  • Maple Leafs Trade Targets: Hamilton, Schenn & Soucy
  • Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho’s Sneaky Top-20 NHL Point Season
  • NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World