Illegal Curve Website Profiles DU Recruit Colborne

(above) Joe Colborne has 20 goals and 32 assists in 29 games this season

The Illegal Curve Website provides NHL coverage from every major North American newspaper. They ran the following piece on DU Recruit Joe Colborne who is expected to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft in June. Colborne is currently the 4th leading scorer in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the Camrose Kodiaks.

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.