if I load Linux Mint onto the drive and refit it - is there any chance that it will boot up?
Probably better to put the drive in the Macbook, then try booting a Linux live from a USB stick. Whether it works or not will be down to what combination of Linux / desktop you try with your specific MBP hardware. It may be that it all works perfectly, or some things don't work - e.g. wifi - or it doesn't work at all e.g. black screen / no video / CLI only. At least with a live install you can just play around without committing to anything - although as you've just got a blank HDD, you've nothing to lose!
SD