John MacNeil
Daily Herald
Linden Abercrombie enters his second season with the Prince Albert Mintos as a signed prospect of the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
The U18 AAA Prince Albert Mintos open their regular season at home Wednesday night when the Battlefords Stars visit the Art Hauser Centre.
Last week, on the same day the Mintos played the first of two exhibition games against the Saskatoon Contacts, the Warriors announced that they had signed Abercrombie to a WHL scholarship and development agreement.
“Oh, it feels a thousand times more real than I thought it was,” Abercrombie said about moving that much closer to eventually playing major junior hockey.
“It came up pretty quick. It’s exciting.”
Abercrombie, a rangy forward, is still just 15 years old. He turns 16 in October.
The Warriors selected him in the fourth round, 90th overall, in the 2025 WHL prospects draft.
At this year’s Moose Jaw training camp, Abercrombie hung around through the pre-season schedule. The second of his two exhibition games came against the Prince Albert Raiders in the Art Hauser Centre, which doubles as the Mintos’ home rink.
Warriors’ management liked the same things they’ve seen in the six-foot-three, 180-pound Abercrombie since he was drafted.
“For sure, I think it’s my size and how I play with a little chip on my shoulder,” he said.
The Warriors told him as much before he left Moose Jaw late in the pre-season. At the same exit meeting, they offered to sign him as he returned to the Mintos, leading to last week’s announcement.
Before suiting up with the Mintos for their two games against the Contacts, Abercrombie also dressed for the junior A Nipawin Hawks in their 7-1 SJHL pre-season victory over the La Ronge Ice Wolves on Sept. 11 at Big River.
The Hawks, who drafted Abercrombie last year, literally picked him up in Prince Albert en route to Big River. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience.
“Yeah, it was,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t really know any of the boys. But they had some of the P.A. guys playing, so that was good.
“I think I played very good.”
That’s the same way the Saskatoon product expects to play as a second-year Minto, after scoring six goals and 18 points in 38 games last season as a rookie in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League.
During their latest brief taste of pre-season action, the Mintos lost twice to the Contacts — 3-2 in Saskatoon on Sunday and 6-1 in Prince Albert last Wednesday.
Between those two exhibition games, the Mintos continued to build their chemistry off the ice. They golfed together in a tournament Saturday, after attending the Raiders’ home-opener Friday night and a team chapel session Friday after school.
“We had chapel last year, but honestly didn’t really use (those sessions) overly,” Abercrombie said. “But this year, personally I think it will be a good idea to get more meetings in with the chaplain, so that’s the plan.
“It’s usually a talk to make sure we’re all doing good, making sure our mental health is good. Just pretty much spread the gospel and learn new things that we haven’t learned already.
“I was new last year and I’ve never really done that with a team before. Honestly, to me, it’s a great idea and I think every team should be doing it.”
The Mintos made appreciable gains Sunday as they battled the Contacts in the one-goal loss at Saskatoon.
Contacts newcomer Cruise Armstrong, son of former NHL forward Colby Armstrong, scored the winning goal with 1:58 left in the third period.
It was a standout performance from Prince Albert rookie goaltender Will Shaw, who made 36 saves playing in his hometown of Saskatoon.
The Contacts’ other goals came from Brady Leinenweber, a defence prospect of the Vancouver Giants, and Sam Brenner, a centre drafted by the Raiders last spring.
The Mintos’ goals came from veterans Madden Dell and Sean Lavoie. Dell continues to connect well playing alongside fellow returning forwards Xander Pritchard and Burke Whitter.
Saskatoon goaltender Felix Derksen stopped 23 shots.
As the regular season begins Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Mintos go against a Battlefords team that posted a 3-0 record in the pre-season.
