The Colborne Identity

He may not have the celebrity status of Jason Bourne just yet, but he unquestionably has the ability to electrify his audience in more ways than one, and Joe Colborne is well on his way to establishing his own reputed identity. Colborne, the native of Calgary, Alberta, currently plays for the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Ranked 29th overall in December's ISS 2008 rankings, Colborne headlines a small group of exciting 2008 draft eligible prospects playing Tier II hockey in Canada this season. But as Colborne explains, he isn’t the least bit worried about the pressure of being the top ranked Junior A player.

“Personally, I don’t really feel much pressure because I am trying to focus on each game as it comes and hopefully the draft will take care of itself,” said Colborne.

The scouts have been raving about Colborne’s explosive speed coupled with his towering 6’5” frame, which in all likelihood has yet to be filled out. Colborne plays the center position with notoriously soft hands and natural offensive instincts, thus the 52 points in 29 games played this season with Camrose. When asked about which current NHL players he would compare his style of play to, Colborne chose three who any General Manager in the right mind would undoubtedly love to have on their team.

“I feel like I am a skilled forward, and I try to model my game after players like Lecavalier, Thornton and Spezza,” he said.

Colborne played his minor hockey in Springbank, Alberta, a community just outside of Calgary. He began playing organized hockey at the age of five, but Colborne says he can’t remember a day when he didn’t dream about playing in the National Hockey League. On top of his time with Camrose, Colborne has also had the privilege to represent Canada internationally, which he singles out as one of his top hockey memories.

“My fondest memory in hockey would either be the playoff run my team went on last year when we reached the Royal Bank Cup semifinal game and lost in the fifth overtime period, or winning the World Junior A Challenge in Trail BC earlier this year,” said Colborne, who had seven points in four games with Canada West in the tournament.

Colborne has been compared by many to Kyle Turris, who is currently representing Team Canada at the World Junior Championships overseas, because of their similar decisions to play in the Canadian Junior A Hockey League rather than the Tier I Canadian Hockey League. While the comparison is somewhat appropriate, a more suitable comparison might be to Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond, who also played for the Camrose Kodiaks.