The Bruins May Have Something Special In Joe Colborne

After an exciting playoff series that resulted in a loss to the Montreal Canadiens in 2008, the Boston Bruins began to prepare for the NHL Entry Draft. The team held the 16th overall selection and nobody was really sure what they were going to do with the pick. The organizations depth at the center position seemed to indicate they would either select a wing or a defenseman. However, the Bruins surprised everybody and selected University of Denver commit 18-year old center Joe Colborne, previously of the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Colborne is currently 19 years old and is a sophomore at the University of Denver. He stands at six foot five and weighs approximately 205 pounds. During his freshmen year, he played in 40 games and scored 10 goals, dished out 21 assists good for 31 points. Colborne has taken the next step in his sophomore year and in 20 games has scored 8 goals and dished out 13 assists (21 points) for the #1 team in the nation. At around a point per game pace, Colborne has been a steady player for Denver.

Many have compared Colborne to former Bruin Joe Thornton. Now, this does not mean that when he eventually gets the call up to the big club that he will gain a reputation for not showing up in the playoffs. It also doesn't necessarily mean that he is going to be a threat to put up 90 to 100 points a season. The body frame the soft hands and the great touch around the net is there. However, it does not appear that Colborne is as gritty as Thornton was at the same age. He does have the hockey IQ to make up for it though.

The big knock on Joe Colborne is the fact that he is not physical, he does not drive to the net as much as he should and that he isn't a "banger". As Bruins fans, we have heard the same complaints about Blake Wheeler. Joe Colborne does not appear to be another Blake Wheeler though. His passing ability is much more advanced and he has a very good shot. He is a player that likes to set up his teammates and could be a tremendous asset on the power play one day with his creativity.

The problem for Colborne however could be his lack of physical play. After the Phil Kessel trade, it became clear that management wanted to go in a direction where physical play and defense trumps goal scoring. Maybe they will go back on this decision considering they are dead last in the NHL in goals per game but for now nothing has changed.

All issues of physical play aside, this is a special player the Bruins acquired in the 2008 draft. He could turn out to be an absolute steal at 16 and could be with the NHL club within the next two seasons. He has skated with the team and participated in the Bruins development camp. (You can check out a small video here) He is taking the necessary steps to become an NHL-ready player. In fact, he has gained around 15 pounds since being drafted. There is no question to me Joe Colborne is going to be a special player for the Boston Bruins. He is ranked the team's second best prospect overall behind goalie Tuukka Rask on Hockey's Future and appears to be a star on the rise at 19 years old.