The Hockey Writers

What The Hockey Writers does

The Hockey Writers is a privately held Canadian digital media company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Saint-Lambert, Quebec, that operates a hockey-focused content platform serving North American hockey fans. The company produces editorial coverage of all 32 NHL teams organized by division, alongside the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), major junior leagues (CHL/OHL/QMJHL/WHL), NCAA hockey, and international and historical hockey content. Its technology stack is a WordPress-based content management system extended with multimedia distribution through a YouTube channel, the THW Podcast Network on Spotify, RSS feeds, and a Substack newsletter that has accumulated more than 35,000 subscribers. The contributor model relies on hundreds of writers worldwide producing hourly content updates across team-specific landing pages, draft guides, rumors, prospect profiles, and an editorial encyclopedia branded HockeyPedia.

The business model is advertising-led and free to the consumer. The Hockey Writers generates revenue primarily through digital advertising on its high-traffic website, supplemented by sponsored content placements and affiliate marketing, with no subscription or paywall on core content; a premium Substack subscription tier exists but conversion metrics are not disclosed. Distribution is entirely digital and self-serve, accessed globally without registration. Customer segments are consumer-only: general hockey enthusiasts as the primary segment, with secondary use-case segments around fantasy hockey managers and NHL Draft followers.

The company employs 51-100 staff and writers, is 100% Canadian-owned with no disclosed institutional investment, and shows no M&A, partnership, leadership change, or funding events in the source data. As of mid-2026 the site is actively publishing, including expanded coverage of the NHL's newest franchise (Utah Mammoth) and the 2026 NHL Draft, alongside a multi-year build-out of podcasts, newsletters, and social distribution on X, Facebook, Bluesky, and Mastodon.

Name

The Hockey Writers

Legal name

The Hockey Writers

Website

https://thehockeywriters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Hockey Writers is a privately held Canadian digital media company that publishes editorial coverage of the NHL, PWHL, junior, and international hockey across a website, podcast network, Substack newsletter, and social platforms, monetized through digital advertising aimed at North American hockey fans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Media & Digital Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications (MPACAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA), Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAB)

Keywords

• Hockey news media
• NHL coverage
• Sports editorial content
• Hockey podcasts
• Digital sports publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-lambert

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: The Hockey Writers generates revenue through digital advertising on their high-traffic website. With articles read millions of times every month and hourly content updates, the platform monetizes through display ads, sponsored content placements, and affiliate marketing integrated throughout their editorial content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Hockey Writers is a digital sports media company that publishes original hockey news, analysis, rumors, and feature articles through its website, podcast network, YouTube channel, and Substack newsletter. It provides team-specific and league-wide coverage of the NHL, PWHL, CHL (OHL, QMJHL, WHL), NCAA, and international hockey, with hourly content updates produced by hundreds of writers worldwide.

Product overview

The Hockey Writers is a comprehensive hockey news and analysis platform offering a centralized website as its core product, supplemented by an integrated suite of content modules including the THW Podcast Network (featuring team-specific podcasts distributed via YouTube and Spotify), NHL Draft Guide, NHL Rumors, HockeyPedia encyclopedia, NHL Prospects coverage, Salary Cap Information, Milestone Tracker, PWHL/Women's Hockey coverage, and Substack newsletter subscriptions. The platform provides coverage of all 32 NHL teams, major junior hockey leagues (CHL/OHL/QMJHL/WHL), international hockey, and women's professional hockey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Hockey Writers Website A premier hockey news and analysis website providing hourly updated content including NHL news, team coverage, trade rumors, prospect analysis, and feature articles from hundreds of writers worldwide, accessible free to readers.
• THW Podcast Network A curated collection of hockey podcasts produced by THW writers and hosts, including team-specific shows distributed via YouTube and Spotify.
• NHL Draft Guide Comprehensive NHL Entry Draft resource featuring detailed prospect profiles, mock drafts, exclusive rankings, team-specific coverage for all 32 NHL teams, positional rankings, league rankings, and historical draft analysis.
• PWHL / Women's Hockey Coverage Dedicated coverage of Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), women's college hockey, and international women's hockey.
• Substack Newsletter Email newsletter subscription service delivering curated hockey news and analysis to subscribers, with both free and premium subscription options.
• HockeyPedia A comprehensive hockey encyclopedia and documentation resource providing historical and reference hockey content.
• NHL Prospects Coverage Coverage of NHL prospects across CHL (OHL, QMJHL, WHL), NCAA, and international hockey leagues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Articles read millions of times monthly

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SB Nation: Network of sports blogs with team-specific fan communities, including dedicated NHL blogs. Directly comparable multi-writer, team-page-driven model, though SB Nation operates across all major sports rather than hockey alone.
• The Athletic: Subscription-based digital sports media outlet with deep NHL team-specific coverage and beat reporters. Closest comparable in audience intent and team-page architecture, but monetizes via reader subscription rather than advertising.
• Pension Plan Puppets: SB Nation-affiliated Toronto Maple Leafs community blog with deep NHL fan coverage. Comparable single-team/team-fan publishing model, but focused on one franchise rather than league-wide coverage.
• Daily Faceoff: Hockey-focused digital media platform covering NHL news, rumors, line combinations, and fantasy hockey. Comparable niche positioning and audience, with stronger data/lineup tools as a differentiator.

Broad incumbents

• ESPN: Global sports media giant producing NHL news, analysis, video, and fantasy tools. Indirect competitor on traffic and ad spend, but a primary destination for hockey fans and a ceiling on audience share.
• TSN: Canadian sports broadcaster and digital publisher with significant NHL coverage. Established incumbent with rights, broadcast, and editorial scale well beyond THW's.
• Sportsnet: Canadian national sports broadcaster and digital publisher with rights to NHL coverage. Larger, broader incumbent that competes for the same Canadian hockey audience with official league content.
• Bleacher Report: Large digital sports publisher with NHL team verticals and social-first content. Comparable digital, multi-writer, team-page structure but operates across all major sports at far greater scale.

Emerging players

• Puck News: Subscription-based digital media company covering sports, media, and entertainment with strong hockey trade-rumor coverage. Comparable niche premium content positioning with a paid newsletter model.
• Defector Media: Independent, writer-owned digital sports publication with subscription model. Comparable spirit as an independent, content-led sports outlet, though not hockey-specialized and structured around paid reader revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thehockeywriter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/TheHockeyWriters2021
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHockeyWriters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hockey Writers