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DU’s BIG Recruit
By Scott Bondy
From Fenway Park in Boston to the quaint campus of Denver University, Joe Colborne has seen a lot since June 21. He’s played with NHL stars, toured Boston and was acquainted with their humbling fans. What he can’t seem to get over however, is the fact that people want to talk to him.
The Denver Pioneers landed a big recruit. Sure he was selected by the Boston Bruins with the No. 16 pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but that’s not the point. He’s 6’5” big and Colborne may be exactly what the team has been looking for to bring an eighth NCAA hockey championship to the Mile High City.
He’s been in Denver for two weeks now and been up to his ears (which are pretty high) in hockey, yet he smiles every time he talks about his new home. For at least one year Denver will be his home and for right now that’s fine. People began speculating about whether Colborne would wear the crimson and gold after he became the second player in DU history to be taken in the first round of the NHL draft. But he committed and stuck to it, even hours before the draft started.
Like how he shot up seven inches in three years, the Calgary native shot up in the draft.
Maybe Colborne’s late development is reason for his confusion toward recent popularity. Even so, he’s been doing plenty of interviews since he was named 2007-08 Canadian Junior Hockey Player of the Year. That same year he took his team, the Camrose Kodiaks, to the Doyle Cup of the Alberta Junior Hockey league. And then the draft hit in June and the Boston Bruins picked up their next Jumbo Joe.
It’s an honor to be referenced to Joe Thornton, a big 6’4” forward who served the Bruins for eight years, and coincidentally Colborne’s favorite player. But it’s also a little surreal for the 18-year-old freshman.
“(Thornton) is a big guy and likes to use his height and reach to keep the puck on his stick,” Colborne explained. “I’m the same way. Hopefully I can continue to improve and play just like him.”
If he does, the Pioneers may land a heck of a steal. Not that the Pioneers aren’t deserving of the talent, but they had to compete with some of the major junior Canadian leagues for Colborne’s services. He had to weigh his options and really get a sense for what would help him ultimately reach the NHL.
Colborne chose college to the dismay of many Canadian hockey fanatics and critics.
“After talking with a lot of the NHL personnel and my coaches (with Camrose) we came to the decision that playing fewer games and working out more would be the best conclusion,” he said in reference to his 200-pound stature. “I need to get stronger and bigger and the college game is meant for that.”
Colborne laughs at the notion of the U.S.-stigma that only big defenseman come out of the states. If it’s true, then he’ll be tested against them furthering his development. But he injects that while he will be playing against some bigger guys, a few on his team may be the exception.
“You can have big guys and skill guys,” he admitted. “We have four or five with some of the best hands that I’ve seen.”
That’s not surprising with the hype this team has. They’ve brought in quite a few freshmen that will make an impact immediately and help support a team that won the Western Collegiate Hockey Association last season. Colborne doesn’t have any guarantees but rather a prediction.
“I think we’ll win the WCHA and hopefully a national championship,” he said with a laugh, because he refused to give a guarantee. “That is something that has eluded me.”
Colborne is referencing his last two failed championships. Last season he got robbed by an incredible glove save in the final seconds of the championship game, which the Kodiaks lost 1-0. The year before that his team lost by one in the semifinals after going to six overtimes. Joe Colborne is due.
“He’s worked very hard for everything he’s gotten,” said Camrose assistant coach Miles Walsh, who also served as Colborne’s billet. “He’s ready to go.”
Walsh pointed out that the Kodiaks were riding Joe pretty hard last season in anticipation of his arrival on campus. He played somewhere close to 200 games in two years and that played a huge role in his decision to attend college.
But just how long will Colborne remain a Pioneer?
Depends who you ask. But the one who matters most said he’s in no rush.
“It could be two, three, four years. It really doesn’t matter. The only things that matter are that I get stronger and continue to improve and that we win a national championship.”
That’ll be something to see, and Joe Colborne has seen a lot lately.
If things keep going the way they have been, he better believe people are going to want to talk to him.
DU at a Glance
-Last year’s team finished 26-14-1 and won the WCHA, but was eliminated in the NCAA Midwest Regional with a 6-2 loss to Wisconsin
-The Pioneers return two of their top three leaders in points, Tyler Bozak and Rhett Rakhshani.
-This year marks the 60th anniversary of DU hockey
-Senior J.P. Testwuide made history by becoming the first Coloradan to captain the team |
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