Jason Kerr
Daily Herald
Nipawin’s Liam Myhre is no stranger to the Art Hauser Centre.
Years before the 5’11, 157 pound defenceman was drafted by the Prince Albert Raiders, Myhre and his family were regulars in the Art Hauser Centre stands watching his cousin. Carson Perreaux played 186 games for the Raiders between 2011 and 2014, and Myhre hopes to one day follow in his footsteps.
“It’s kind of a hometown team for me,” said Myhre. “I grew up watching them a lot. I had a cousin who played on that team, so we went to lots of the games. It was really cool when I heard my name called in that draft.”
The Raiders picked Myhre in the third round of the 2024 WHL prospects draft after he posted 17 goals and 29 assists in 29 games with the North East Wolfpack of Saskatchewan’s U15 AA league.
Last season, he dressed for 27 games with the Prince Albert Mintos, posting two goals and nine assists, while also suiting up for three games with the Raiders.
He was back in training camp with the Raiders this fall, and recorded an assist in his lone pre-season game.
“He’s a tremendous skater,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said. “He defends well. He’s got a good stick. He has the ability to make those offensive reads…. He’s just a player we’re really excited about.”
“It was a lot of learning,” Myhre said when asked about training camp. “It was a lot of fast-paced hockey. The coaches and older players really helped me improve for the season.”
Cracking the Raider roster would have been an impressive achievement for the Nipawin product. The current Prince Albert defensive corps features only three rookies on the back-end, 2024 second overall pick Brock Cripps, 2023 second round pick Benett Kelly, and 2022 11th round pick Hubert Clarke.
Instead, Myhre will be back with the Mintos this season. While he was hoping to make the Raiders regular season roster, he’s looking forward to another year with Prince Albert’s U18 AAA club.
“Hopefully we can have a good year,” he said. “(I’ll) improve a little bit, have a good year with the team, and hopefully next year I can crack that lineup.”
Having Myhre back has been a boon for the Mintos. Through seven games he leads the team in goals with four and points with 6. Mintos head coach Dion Antisin said they’ll lean on him throughout the season.
“He’s phenomenal,” Antisin said. “It’s going to be great for us to have him. He’s such a good skater and has played in this league for years, so he knows what he can do to have success.”
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
