Red Line Report Calls Colborne "An Enigma"

From: USA Today Website
by Kyle Woodlief


An internal debate has been raging at Red Line Report since last November on the top two ranked western Tier II players on our list. Last month, Zac Dalpe of Penticton and Joe Colborne of Camrose went head-to-head for the Doyle Cup for the right to play in the Royal Bank Cup Tier II Championship, and they were often matched up against one another from shift to shift. Camrose won 4-1 and Colborne showed the way as leading scorer in the series with four goals and three assists in five games.

One of our western Canada scouts is sold on Colborne as a potential stud. And he does have the tools to become an outstanding offensive player once he fills out his huge frame. He's 6-5, skates very well with a long, smooth stride, and has a great release on an accurate wrist shot from the high slot. Plus, by all accounts he's a great kid off the ice — intelligent, sincere, and mature.

But RLR's chief scout is not sold and has nagging doubts, particularly after going to see Colborne again at the Royal Bank Cup. He simply does not compete. It's not that he doesn't win battles for loose pucks, it's that he never even gets close enough to the dirty areas to become involved in the battles. And the reason he has to fire those great wristers from the high slot is because he'll never drive to the crease.

So Colborne remains a frustrating enigma for us scouts.

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