Colbourne's New Path To The NHL Will Be A Grind

TORONTO — In order to take a step forward, Joe Colborne has to take a step back.

Not back to the minors, where the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect spent a majority of the last three seasons. But to the bottom of the team’s depth chart, where a first-round draft pick with top-line potential is now eyeing the fourth line as his ticket to the NHL.

It is part of the transformation that Colborne is trying to undertake in an attempt to make the Leafs’ roster out of training camp. The 23-year-old was a No. 1 centre in college and in the minors, where he was relied upon to score big goals and play big minutes. And while he is certain he can play that role in the NHL one day, he realizes that if he is going to earn a spot on head coach Randy Carlyle’s team it will be in a role where he is valued more for his size and defence than his goal-scoring ability.

“I mean, whatever the coaching staff wants me to do I’ll do,” Colborne said before Sunday’s pre-season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers in London, Ont. “Obviously, I have trust in my offensive ability and I know I can play a scoring role in this league. But if we already have a solid couple of lines there, then I’m more than happy to play the role they want me to do and get my foot in the door and continually build that trust with the coaching staff.”

This is the challenge of any young player who is trying to define his game at the next level. Colborne, who has the size and skill to be a top-six forward, might have scored in the past. But almost everyone in the NHL has scored in the past.

Colborne, who would have to clear waivers if he were sent down to the minors, should have the inside track to starting the season as the fourth-line centre. That might not be where he sees himself as a player but the coaching staff has made it clear that ice time has to be earned. If Colborne wants to end up with a corner office, he will have to get there by starting in the mailroom.

To that end, Colborne spent this summer training with power skating instructor Barb Underhill to become faster, and he shot hundreds of pucks at the old concrete shed at his parents’ place in Alberta to become more of a scoring threat. But unless he can show the ability to play a fourth-line energy role, he might not get a chance to show what else he can do [read entire article].

News & Notes From Around PioNation

Turns out the Joe Colbourne not only had a couple of torn ligaments in his wrist, but also a broken bone that doctors discovered during surgery.  The broken wrist bone grew back together, but needed to be shaved down during the medical procedure.  It certainly helps explain his drop in production in the 2nd half of the AHL season.

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According to Twitter, DU Sophomore Wade Bennett [Beau's older brother] has retired from hockey due to injuries, and will become DU's newest student assistant coach.  Good luck Wade.

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TV Update: Two games @ North Dakota on 12/7 and 12/8 will be broadcast on Fox College Sports (FCS). The DU @ Minnesota game on 3/1 will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and the 3/2 game will be on FSN North. 25 of DU's 35 games will available on TV or on Pioneer Vision with more to be possibly added.

David Carle Begins Coaching In Green Bay

(above) DU Alum David Carle at a Gamblers practice

From: Green Bay Press-Gazette
by Weston Hodkiewicz

Sitting inside a satellite locker room in the Resch Center, it’s been four years to the day since David Carle’s hockey career was taken out from under him. 

Now an assistant coach for the Green Bay Gamblers, the once-messy red hair is neatly parted and gelled. The hockey pads and sweater Carle practically grew up in exchanged for a button-down shirt and slacks [read entire article].

Joe Colborne Still Trying To Add Weight

(above) Joe Colborne & the Toronto Marlies are playing for the AHL Championship this week

From: National Post
by Michael Traikos

Joe Colborne is hungry. As you read this, the 22-year-old is probably drinking a protein shake or sitting down in front of a heaping plate of chicken and pasta. Whatever it is, it is still not enough. He wants to eat more. He needs to eat more. 

Not to necessarily pack pounds onto his slender frame, but more so to temporarily prevent the grains of sand from passing through the hourglass that acts as his hearty metabolism.

“If I only ate three meals a day, I’d probably lose five pounds or more,” said the 6-foot-5 Colborne, who grew a half-inch in the last few months and whose weight can fluctuate from 208 to 218 pounds on a given day.

“It just never ends. I’ll go out for food and everyone else is ready to leave and I’m ready to eat a whole other meal. But I guess that’s a good thing too when I get older. I’ll be laughing at the other guys who will be getting fat.”

Right now, Colborne’s weight is like everything else about the Maple Leafs prospect: a work in progress. A first-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2008, the Calgary native was sent to Toronto as part of a trade for Tomas Kaberle near the end of 2010-11. And while Kaberle helped the Bruins win a Stanley Cup, the Leafs are still waiting on what they eventually hope develops into a top-six forward.

Patience, however, has been the key.

Colborne needs to get bigger, stronger, faster and become more consistent offensively before he challenges for a job with the Leafs next season. That being said, he has shown flashes of potential.
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He started this past season with eight goals and eight assists in his first nine games, and he was named the American Hockey League’s player of the month in October. The following month, he was called up to the Leafs and scored his first NHL goal and recorded three assists in nine games.
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But like his weight, the production was difficult to keep up.

After being sent back to the minors at the end of November, Colborne struggled to score and finished the season with just eight goals and 15 assists in his final 56 games. During one miserable stretch at the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, he went 30 games without a goal. He has two goals and five assists in 13 playoff games heading into Game 3 of the Calder Cup final on Thursday.

These would not appear to be the stats of someone who is ready to make a full-time jump to the NHL. Colborne knows it. But at the same time, he is not discouraged by his development.

“I was hot, for sure,” he said of that incredible first month. “I think there have been flashes of it, but it hasn’t been as consistent as I would like to be … but it’s not over yet. It’s sort of been a trying year at times, but it’s also been a huge learning experience for me.”

There are several reasons why Colborne suddenly went from looking like the Leafs’ top prospect to an average Joe — he lost a linemate, he lacerated his finger, he grew a half inch — but at the end of the day, it might boil down to managing expectations.

“Early in the season, he just got off to an unbelievable start,” said head coach Dallas Eakins, who has Colborne centering a line with Carter Ashton and Greg Scott. “To keep that pace up, now that’s the problem with a player. If you’re going to do a test on a mile run, don’t go run the mile in five minutes the first time, because they’re going to expect you to do that every time.

“So Joe got off to a great start. I think he kind of came back to reality mid-season, more of how we thought he would play. But when you get off to a great start as a young man and it’s not going for you, you start losing your confidence. He started going outside his game, trying things.”

Eakins wants Colborne to get back to using his big frame to his advantage and driving the net and hanging onto the puck more down low. But he has no issues with his effort or attitude, especially considering Colborne has been playing through more than the usual bumps and bruises that come from a long playoff run.

“There is some stuff,” he said. “I’m sure it will come out at the end of the year.”

“He’s a really motivated kid,” Eakins said. “He’s not someone who’s leaving every day going, ‘Had a bad day and it’s not a big deal.’ He’s thinking about it. His play has weighed on him at points, but he’s always looking for — even when he’s playing great — a way to get better.”

For now, the way to do that is to keep eating.

DU Alumni NHL Roundup

(above) Matt Donovan stretching during warmups before his first NHL game

Jason Zucker Article

Tyler Bozak [Toronto] - 2 goals and an assist as Toronto lost to Buffalo 6-5.

Joe Colborne [Toronto] - Just recalled to the Maple Leafs recorded an assist.

Matt Donovan [NY Islanders] - Played over 21 minutes in first NHL game, but the Islanders lost to New Jersey 3-1.

Matt Carle  [Philadelphia] - Played over 16 minutes and was -2 as the Flyers lost to the arch rival NY Rangers.

Jason Zucker [Minnesota] - Played 11 minutes in his fourth NHL game, but did not record a point.

Chris Butler [Calgary] & Paul Statsny [Colorado] - Teams did not play

Joe Colborne Called Up To Leafs

From: NHL.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Monday that University of Denver alum Joe Colborne has been recalled on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

Colborne, 22, has 16 goals and 21 assists in 60 AHL games with the Marlies in 2011-12. In nine earlier games with the Maple Leafs this season he collected one goal and three assists.

The MAple Leafs play at Buffalo on Tuesday.

Video: 20 Questions With DU Alum Joe Colborne

Video: Joe Colborne's First NHL Goal

NHL.com Game Recap & Video Highlights

It was a memorable evening for DU alum Joe Colborne last night. He scored his first NHL goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs, his team won 7-1 over the Tampa Bay Lightening and former DU star Tyler Bozak added two goals for the Maple Leafs.

News & Notes From Around PioNation

Both ice hockey games against Michigan Tech will begin at 5 PM MT this weekend.  According to the DU Website, both games will be available online, presumably on PioneerVision.

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Drew Shore was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week.  Shore was +6 on the weekend, scored a GWG and assisted on the other game winner against Minnesota State.

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DU Alum Joe Colborne is off to a great start this season in the AHL.  He already has 12 points in the first six games for the Toronto Marlies.  It may take an injury to an existing player on the Maple Leafs roster for Colborne to get called up to the NHL this season, but he looks like he's going to be ready.

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DU's Chicago Alumni will be hosting a viewing party at the Gaslight Bar & Grill to watch the DU @ CC hockey game on Dec. 2nd.

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The University of Denver Alumni Association Website has some great photos of the pregame alumni event in Boston.  Boone is in a lot of the photos, greeting guests, schmoozing with DU bigwigs and lightening up the mood at the party.

Colborne Wants To Land On Leafs Roster

(above) DU Alum Joe Colborne will be battling in training camp to play alongside fellow Pioneer Tyler Bozak

From: National Post

by Michael Traikos

Training camp begins for the Toronto Maple Leafs in one week. Until then, head coach Ron Wilson is not allowed on the ice with his team. Nor is he allowed to devise game plans in the dressing room or stand on the bench and shout instructions to his charges. But he is always watching.

Joe Colborne knows this. He also knows that while most of the roster is pretty much set, the Leafs are keeping one spot open on the third line with centre Tyler Bozak and right-winger Colby Armstrong [read rest of article].

DU's Pro Hockey Camp Begins Today

From: DU Athletics Website

The second annual University of Denver Hockey Alumni Pro Camp will be held Aug. 22-26 at Joy Burns Ice Arena.

The pro camp will allow current professional DU hockey alums and other professional players to train together in preparation for their upcoming 2011-12 seasons. DU Associate Head Coach Steve Miller and former DU assistant coach and current Green Bay Gamblers head coach/general manager Derek Lalonde will provide on-ice instruction for the five-day camp, which runs daily next week from 10:15 AM - PM. The camp is open to the public FREE of charge.

DU hockey professional alumni expected to participate in this year's camp Paul Stastny (Colorado), Rhett Rakhshani (New York Islanders), Joe Colborne (Toronto), Marc Cheverie (Florida), Brock Trotter (Montreal), Patrick Mullen (Los Angeles), J.P. Testwuide (Phoenix), Andrew Thomas (New Jersey), Aaron MacKenzie (Austria), Geoff Paukovich and Matt Glasser.

Other professional players expected to participate in the camp include Peter Mueller (Colorado), Cody McLeod (Colorado), Kyle Quincey (Colorado), Ben Guite (San Jose), Nathan Oystrick (Phoenix) and Steve Oleksy (Colorado).

DU Alums Factor In Maple Leafs Future

(above) DU alum Joe Colborne in his NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens

From: Toronto Sun

by Rob Longley

When Ron Wilson saw DU alum Joe Colborne make his NHL on Saturday night, the Leafs coach must have had a flashback to the days he coached jumbo Joe Thornton in San Jose.

Okay, perhaps just a mild one.

The Leafs prospect may be a year or more in the minors away from being an impact center in the NHL, but just seeing a big body up the middle has to make Wilson yearn for more of the same.  Colborne notched an assist in his first game, a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

For all of the improvement at the end of the season and all of the third- and fourth-line stability that has emerged, the Leafs aren’t going to go anywhere meaningful until they get bigger, better and tougher up front.

In fact, if there is one glaring deviation from general manager Brian Burke’s typical blueprint, it is that the Leafs lack the size and toughness he covets in a forward group.

The mere hint of something good down the road in Colborne, a 6-foot-5 center who can skate but at age 21 still needs to develop physically, points out how suspect the Leafs are down the middle.

DU's other alum Tyler Bozak wasn’t worthy of being a No. 1 center starting the season, certainly isn’t now and quite possibly will never be suited to that role. If it weren’t for the fact that Bozak was the team’s most effective faceoff man he may not have lasted in that role. In fact, with a blue-chip pivot in front of him, Bozak’s game may actually improve.

Overall, the Leafs have too many players that don’t do enough damage in front of the opposition net. Whether it’s size or unwillingness to go there, it has compromised them on too many nights over the past three seasons [read entire article].

Colborne & Bozak To Be Reunited On Maple Leafs

(above) Joe Colborne will center the Maple Leafs first line tonight in his NHL debut

From: Globe & Star

by James Mirtle

There might as well have been one big question mark skating in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey at practice on Friday.

The mystery man could center the top line, playing between Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, adding size, scoring punch and – probably just as important – defensive ability to a team that’s been searching for all of the above down the middle ever since GM Brian Burke arrived in town.

In a perfect world, that’s the player the Leafs would have.

In this one, however, it’ll be 21-year-old prospect Joe Colborne making his NHL debut on Saturday, skating alongside Kessel and Lupul in the final game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens.

Acquired from the Boston Bruins in February as part of the Tomas Kaberle trade, Colborne remains as raw as they come, a tall, rangy former first-round pick who has struggled through much of his first pro season.

He’s not yet an answer to Toronto’s issues at the position, but the organization wants a closer look at just what he could be.

“I want to put him in a position where he can succeed,” Leafs coach Ron Wilson said of playing Colborne with two of his top guns. “And utilize his strengths.

“Potentially, he could be a No. 1 centre someday. Still has lots to work on. Get bigger and stronger. But he’s a big body, he’s pretty good on faceoffs, he skates very well. So I’ll play him with some people who can help him out.”

Colborne’s arrival for Game 82 on the schedule involves bumping Tyler Bozak off of Kessel’s line, a prime spot that he’s held for much of the year despite struggling to produce offensively.

Interestingly enough, Colborne and Bozak are both former University of Denver teammates, where they briefly played together two years ago.

The biggest difference between the pair – other than the fact Colborne is 6-foot-5 and Bozak is 6-foot-1 – is their age, with Colborne four years younger and with plenty of time to still develop his game.

The jump to pro hockey hasn’t been all that easy for either player so far, although Colborne has shown signs of turning things around.

While he spent some time in the doghouse with the Bruins’ minor-league affiliate, Colborne has had a prominent role with the Toronto Marlies, putting up eight goals and 15 points in 19 games.

He credits Marlies coach Dallas Eakins with helping him improve in the American Hockey League, as other members of the Leafs like Keith Aulie, Darryl Boyce, Tim Brent and Nazem Kadri have done this season.

“I’ve learned so much since I’ve been here,” Colborne said. “I almost feel like it’s been a tale of two seasons. Now it’s a completely different experience. I’ve loved it.”

The differences, meanwhile, speak volumes as to where the Leafs are at.

Whereas Colborne was one of several talented prospects in the Bruins’ system and eventually deemed expendable when the Leafs dangled Kaberle near the deadline, he is potentially a very key part of what Burke is seeking at centre ice.

Because of that, he’s received every opportunity with the Marlies, as Eakins attempts to develop the youngster into more than the sum of his current parts.

“The biggest thing is the confidence he instills in you,” Colborne said. “Right from Day 1, he called me in and said, ‘Look, we know you’re going to make mistakes, we want you to because we know you’re going to be out there making plays, too.’

“When I’ve made a mistake and come off, in past instances, on other teams, I would have been sat or put on the fourth line. But he’s thrown me right back out the next shift … It’s unbelievable what it’s done for my confidence. I think that’s why I’ve had the success that I’ve had.”

What that means for the future is hard to say. But playing against the Habs on Saturday to close the year is a reward for the progress Colborne’s made so far, a similar one-game audition to the ones Brent and Kadri received last season.

News & Notes From Around Pioneer Nation

Former DU Captain Andy Thomas is back in the AHL with the Albany Devils. For the past 10 games he been on the roster after a successful stint in the ECHL with Trenton.

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Joe Colborne has been playing well for the AHL Toronto Marlies after being traded by the Boston Bruins. The Toronto Star called Colborne a fabulous talent in a recent article.

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The University of Denver lacrosse lost to Syracuse 13-7 over the weekend in the Carrier Dome. Incoming DU lacrosse recruit Sean Cannizzaro, who is from Syracuse, is actually a very good high school hockey player (17g, 30a). If Coach Gwozdecky ever needs an emergency forward in the future he may need to call Coach Tierney for a loaner.

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DU recruit Joey Laleggia finished off the regular season in the BCHL as the league's 5th leading scorer and top scoring defenseman. He scored 20 goals and 62 assists in 58 games.

Joe Colborne Traded To Maple Leafs

From: TSN.com

After 12 seasons in blue and white, the Maple Leafs have traded Tomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospect center Joe Colborne, the Bruins' first round pick in 2011 and a conditional 2nd Round draft pick.

If Boston resigns Kaberle or they make the Stanley Cup Finals, Toronto gets the 2nd round pick.

Paul Colborne Buys BCHL Hockey Team

(above) Paul Colborne just bought an interest in the BCHL Nanaimo Clippers

From: BCHL.ca

Paul Cloborne, the father of former University of Denver star Joe Colborne is one of four new owners of the BCHL Nanaimo Clippers hockey team in British Columbia, Canada. Paul was a fixture at DU games while Joe was playing college hockey.

One of the other four owners includes former NHL goalie and current CBC hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey. Hrudey, who spent 15 years in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.

Another owner is Dave Moir, who has worked with Hrudey on CBC hockey broadcasts as a statistician and researcher.

Paul Colborne, who was not able to be at the ownership announcement as he was watching his son Joe, a 2008 first-round pick by Boston, play for the Providence Bruins. The three have been interested in the Clippers for some time but things only came together recently and Moir says he and his partners are happy it worked out in Nanaimo.

“Basically for the last two-and-a-half to three years, we’d been looking at different opportunities,” said Moir. “We sat down with (current co-owner) Ken (Wagner) in the last six months ... and we felt it was a good fit.”

Moir was also happy to see fans flocking to the game and acknowledged the interest that Hrudey draws.

“I’ve been working with him for 14 years so I’m used to it. Kelly’s a little more visible and he’s good with the fans.”

Hrudey and Moir were able to address the team briefly before they took the ice against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. A former major junior player with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Hrudey said the memories of being around the locker room came flooding back.

“Absolutely – my wife said, ‘Boy, they look so young,’ but they’re all such good kids,” said Hrudey. “You hear that kids are different today but I don’t find that at all.

“If we can provide some help and guidance, that’s what we want to do.”

DU players Kyle Ostrow and Marc Cheverie were teammates on the Clippers before coming to DU.

News & Notes From Around PioNation

The Greenwich Time has a profile about former DU Captain Rhett Rakhshani on his first season in the AHL. Rhett has four goals and five assists for the Bridgeport Sound so far this season.

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The Denver Post ran an Associated Press article this weekend about the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux logo controversy and steps that are being taken to phase out the logo around campus. The school actually formed a Transition Committee to complete the changeover from Fighting Sioux to ... well ... nothing.

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DU now has an iPhone app. The app gives users access to the latest campus news and an events calendar. It also allows users to access DU videos and photos, the athletics website and maps and polls.

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This Edmonton Journal article seems to imply that former DU star Joe Colborne could be playing in the NHL by the end of the season.

News & Notes From Around PioNation

The Hockey Journal has a very good article on DU Alum Joe Colborne. After getting off to a slow start in Providence (AHL) this season, Colborne scored four goals in the past five games. Providence coach Rob Murray has been working with Colborne and seen huge dividends in the past two weeks.

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DU Alum Matt Carle is profiled in a great article in TheFourthPeriod.com. Carle is one of the most underrated top pair defensemen in the NHL. He wouldn't have it any other way.

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The Minnesota State Mavericks who come to town this weekend haven't won in Magness Arena since the 2002-03 season. The American Chronicle has an article about the Mavericks battle last weekend with Nebraska-Omaha and how it sets up for their trip to Denver.

News & Notes From Around PioNation

DU alum Rhett Rakhshani has scored in two games in a row for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL). His first professional goal came against the Providence Bruins, Joe Colborne's team.

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Mike Chambers of the Denver Post was not impressed with DU's power play units on Saturday night. DU may have benefited from some "Home Cooking" from the WCHA refs and still couldn't score.

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DU alum Mark Rycroft, who spent three years at DU before beginning a 226-game NHL career as a third-line grinder, debuted as Jay Stickney’s radio sidekick this weekend. Rycroft is scheduled to work most of DU’s home games with Stickney on 87.7 FM The Ticket.

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DU alum Peter Mannino has been backing up Chris Mason for the NHL Atlanta Thrashers since Ondrej Pavelec's collapse. The Thrashers did not have an update on Pavelec last night, other than to say "he's feeling much better." Mason played both games this weekend.

DU Alum Joe Colborne Breaks Nose, Chips Tooth

From: WEEI.com
by DJ Bean

The former University of Denver center and 2008 16th overall pick didn't hold back when expressing his excitement to play on the same ice as the Bruins, but his night was cut a bit short when he broke his nose and chipped his tooth on a crowded play more than halfway through the the third period (read entire article).

Joe Colborne Update
The first thing that Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli did during his postgame press conference on Wednesday was talk about Joe Colborne.

Colborne, hurt during a collision in the third period of the new B's 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders rookies, had to be helped off the ice with an obvious facial laceration.

"I just spoke with Joe, it looks like he’s got a broken nose he took some stitches," said Chiarelli with a gesture to his nose and upper lip. "I think there’s a chipped tooth.

"He was lucid, and he’s going to go to the hospital to get it checked out.

"He was good spirits actually, so I think he’ll be okay."

At that point, Chiarelli hadn't seen the replay.

"I was told that it was our own stick," said Chiarelli.

That said, New York's Justin Dibenedetto was given a 5-minute elbowing penalty and a game misconduct.

"It didn’t seem like it [was a concussion] based on what [the B's training staff] told me now and based on what I saw," said Chiarelli. "[But] my guess is he won’t be playing [tonight]."