Getting to know Joe Colborne

From Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe:

Just three years ago, Colborne was tooling around as a skilled but averaged-sized high school player in Calgary. He was only 5-9 and about 150 pounds. At age 15, just as a growth spurt was about to trigger, he enrolled at Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, the hockey factory that churned out the likes of ex-Bruins Gord Kluzak and Lyndon Byers. (For the record, the mention of both names drew only what could be described as a polite stare and apologetic shrug from Colborne.)

Colborne played well at Notre Dame, but didn't dazzle to the point where he drew serious interest from the WHL. He went undrafted by "The Dub," and was left with only a couple of training camp invites. Enter Rybalka, who had been charting Colborne's progress since before Notre Dame, and by the fall of 2006, Colborne was officially a Camrose Kodiak...

Read the entire article here.

Colborne was one of the wild cards at this year's draft and this article makes you think the Bruins may have made a very smart decision with their first round pick.

NHL Morning Papers: Special Post-Draft Edition

Here are the morning papers from the Northeast Division:

• Mats Sundin's days as a Maple Leaf are over, writes Damien Cox. Meanwhile, the Leafs were hoping to start a new chapter last night with the selection of Luke Schenn.
• Friday was a busy day for Bob Gainey, as he acquired Alex Tanguay from the Flames and word came out that he is negotiating a deal with Mats Sundin; Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has all the details.
• Erik Karlsson was ecstatic to become a Senator last night, writes Bruce Garrioch. In other Sens news, see you later Ray Emery.
• The Bruins selected Joe Colborne last night, whose game has been compared to former Bruin Joe Thornton. If the Bruins want to make a big splash on the free agent market, they will need some cap space, writes Fluto Shinwaza.
• The Sabres are hoping Tyler Myers can live up to the Zdeno Chara comparisons.

NHL Morning Papers: Special Pre-Draft Edition

Here are the morning papers from the Northwest Division:

• Who the Flames will take is anyone's guess, writes Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald. If the Flames trade Alex Tanguay, who is going to line-up on left wing for the Flames next season?
• Kevin Lowe says he would bet on Joni Pitkanen being on the Oilers next season. That being said, the Oilers sure aren't short on trade offers right now, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• The Avalanche don't pick until number 50, writes Adrian Dater. Meanwhile, Mike Chambers tells readers that Joe Colborne could be the University of Denver's first first round pick.
• The Wild needs to get its drafting back to pre-2003 levels, writes Michael Russo. In contract talks, Brian Rolston and the Wild may not be as close as they originally appeared.
• The Canucks could trade one or both Sedins this weekend, writes Ed Willes. Mike Gillis doesn't expect to trade up at this year's draft.

Prospect Pulse: Joe Colborne

Joe Colborne is a centreman currently playing with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL. He is draft eligible in 2008 and is likely to build upon the precedent set by Kyle Turris in the 2007 draft. Projected to go 20th overall by the Red Line Report, Colborne is the latest in the line of Junior A standouts who are getting noticed by the NHL.

The NHL took notice because of his size and physical tools. A towering 6-5 with a huge frame (though not yet filled out), scouts expect him to have grown significantly before the June draft. Blessed with soft hands and good straight line speed, Colborne can also play a gritty game and has impressed at each successive level with his strong work ethic.

A standout face-off man, he plays a smart 2-way game that belies his young age. He needs to take the edges off his offensive game, but scouts feel he is a solid bet in the first round. Observers who saw him play at the recent World Junior A Challenge felt that he was a dominant skater but would have liked to see him get involved in the play a little more, as he seemed content to play a perimeter game. They described him as cross between Brandon Sutter and James van Riemsdyk.