Jumbo Joe II?: Bruins Sign 2008′s 1st Round Pick Colborne

Joe Colborne, the Bruins 1st round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft has signed an entry-level deal with the club.

When the Bruins originally drafted 6’5″ center Joe Colborne in 2008, the comparisons to former Bruin Joe Thornton were drawn. Scoring 138 points in 108 games with the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Colborne joined the Bruins system as ‘property’ and left his home province of Alberta to join the NCAA with the University of Denver. Now after two years with the Pioneers, the ‘Jumbo Joe’ of tomorrow is ready to join the black-and-gold with his inking of a three-year entry level deal with Boston.

After an impressive 2008 rookie-development camp showing at the Bruins’ practice facility, Colborne put together a respectable season as a freshmen with Denver, notching ten goals and 31 points in 40 games for the Pioneers.

Returning to the rink at Ristuccia for yet another camp in 2009, the focus for Colborne was to get bigger and build off the successful finish to 2008-09 that included eight multi-point efforts and receiving honors as Denver’s top freshmen.

Returning to Denver for his sophomore season and moving to the wing, Colborne had a breakout season of sorts, posting 41 points in 39 games, including 22 goals. As the Pioneers failed to advance towards the Frozen Four, the discussions regarding Colborne’s decision to remain in school or pursue his future with the Bruins immediately became buzzing on the forums, Twitters, and blogs of the hockey world.

Foregoing his final two seasons with Denver, Colborne’s signing will bring the 20-year old to the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League for the remaining of the season.

Regardless of the outcry from Boston fans about the Bruins upsetting offense, which sits last in the entire league for goals scored, it’s extremely unlikely that Colborne will appear in a game with the big club for the remaining of this season not only due to his inexperience, but the unfavorable position the Bruins find themselves in in terms of the standings with six games remaining.

Obviously the biggest question mark for Colborne will remain to be his size. Much like fellow Bruins young-gun Blake Wheeler, while standing at a daunting 6’5″, the concerns of Bruins fans and scouts alike seem to be that Colborne is still in the process of trying to become bigger and stronger to use his body as an advantage in the NHL’s style of play. However, Colborne’s official addition into the Boston system gives the Bruins a left-handed shot and with his likely permanent shift to the wing thanks in large to the plethora of top-notch centers with the NHL-level Bruins, the B’s may have found a contributing part to their 2010-’11 club.

While being huge news for Colborne and his family, the lefty’s performance in not only the remaining games with the P-Bruins but into his first full season will give B’s fans a better assessment as to the drafting of the Peter Chiarelli regime. Currently, Chiarelli’s biggest impact, or blunder rather, has been the drafting of Zach Hamill, who has sputtered with just 74 points in 143 games at the AHL level.

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