John MacNeil
Daily Herald
Linden Abercrombie’s second game in the Western Hockey League pre-season probably couldn’t have come at a better place.
When he suited up with the Moose Jaw Warriors for their 5-3 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders last Friday, the 15-year-old forward returned to the Art Hauser Centre, where he normally plays with the U18 AAA Prince Albert Mintos.
“It’s awesome to play in the home barn again, but in a different uni,” said Abercrombie, a Saskatoon product turning 16 in October.
“It feels the same, but a bigger step. It was awesome, for sure.”
The Warriors selected the six-foot-three, 180-pound Abercrombie in the fourth round of the 2025 WHL prospects draft, with the 90th pick overall.
Hanging around camp through the meaningful part of the WHL exhibition schedule was an encouraging sign for Abercrombie as he soaked up major-junior experience.
“I think I showed my skill and how I get down low and use my body and size,” said Abercrombie, who made his WHL pre-season debut last week in the Warriors’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Pats at the Brandt Centre in Regina.
“I’m not scared to bump a guy or take a hit to make a play. I feel like my reach helps me to get in front of the goalie’s eyes, and I’m able to use my size to hit people and make plays off of it.”
Abercrombie is also a prospect of the junior A Nipawin Hawks, who have welcomed him on board for SJHL pre-season action this weekend.
Then, he’ll step into his second season with the Mintos, with whom he scored six goals and 18 points in 38 games last season in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League.
Abercrombie credited the Mintos organization for helping him develop and make his presence felt at his WHL camp.
“Honestly, the coaching staff was unreal. It’s sad that Dion (former Mintos’ coach Antisin) is gone, but I feel he made me improve a lot to get to this level. All the coaching staff was really good and helped me improve.”
Now, he’s confident the Mintos — under new coach Tyson Dallman — are ready to take the next step and become a playoff team.
“Oh yeah, we’re looking for a big playoff push this year,” Abercrombie said. “We’ve got the team to do it. I’m looking forward to that, for sure.
“I’m back in P.A., looking to have a strong season with this strong group of players we have.”
In timely fashion, his father has been working at the Victoria Hospital project in Prince Albert, so that means he has family in town most of the time.
“My parents don’t miss a game, so it’s awesome to have their support,” said Abercrombie, who lives with a billet family during the hockey season.
He was one of three 2010-born players, including fellow six-feet-plus forwards Kash Elke and Owen Grassick, in Moose Jaw’s lineup for the Prince Albert game. Abercrombie and Elke — the Warriors’ first-round draft choice in 2025 — were Saskatchewan teammates last year in the WHL Cup, the annual Western Canadian U16 championship.
“Linden is a great guy to talk to and be around,” Elke said. “During our Team Sask experience, I learned a lot about him and he learned a lot about me, and we just became better friends from there.”
While they were U18 AAA opponents last season as Abercrombie skated with the Mintos and Elke with the Tisdale Trojans, they renewed their friendship recently during the Warriors’ training camp and pre-season.
“He did have a good fight,” Elke said about Abercrombie’s performance in intrasquad action. “He won, which was good to see.
“He’s about the same size as me — he’s a little bit bigger. He used his body well, he was driving nets, he was making plays, and he was being physical in the corners. I think that stood out to the coaches. They liked that kind of stuff, which got him (in pre-season games).”
Last Friday’s WHL exhibition matchup in Prince Albert pitted Abercrombie against one of his Mintos teammates from last season, Liam Myhre, a 17-year-old defenceman in contention for a full-time promotion to the Raiders.
Myhre scored a goal and assisted on another to help Prince Albert top Moose Jaw.
“Kind of friends off for this game, but I got to talk with him after,” Abercrombie said with a smile.
Abercrombie returned to Moose Jaw for another practice with the Warriors on the weekend, before he made his way back to Prince Albert this week for school and more hockey.
Before he settles in with the Mintos fully, Abercrombie will have an opportunity to audition with Nipawin in SJHL pre-season play. He’s expected to dress this Friday night when the Hawks face the La Ronge Ice Wolves in Big River.
