He's a bigger man on campus

Pick Colborne has jumbo goals

DENVER - Just a little more than three months ago, Joe Colborne was a boy, reedy, and gangly as a colt, his 183 pounds clutching tight to his 6-foot-5-inch frame. But one of the reasons Colborne chose the University of Denver instead of major junior hockey was to grow into a man.

He's already taking those first steps.

Under the watch of Denver strength and conditioning coach Mike Sanders, Colborne, the Bruins' first-round pick in the 2008 draft (No. 16 overall), is already up to 200 pounds, looking thicker around the legs and shoulders.

While skating for the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Colborne played in approximately 90 regular-season and playoff games each season. This season, the Pioneers will play 35 regular-season games, giving Colborne more time to develop in practice and in the weight room.

"That was one of the main reasons why I decided to come to college in the first place," Colborne said. "Mike Sanders has been great for me. With the workouts I've been doing, I'm already feeling stronger. Hopefully, I can keep that up."

Only the second first-round pick to play for Denver (Craig Redmond was selected by the Kings with the sixth pick in 1984), the 18-year-old Colborne is expected to see big-time minutes for coach George Gwozdecky. Colborne, a center in juniors but a left wing in college, has been skating in all situations in practice and is considered a top-six forward, primarily because of his on-ice smarts. Colborne has been skating with Tyler Bozak, Denver's top scorer last season.

"You can improve your skating by working on it and teaching it, as you can a lot of the skill set," Gwozdecky said. "But you can't teach hockey sense. At least I've never known a way to teach that. You can't teach hockey sense like you can't teach that passion and desire."

With Camrose, Colborne was known as a clever offensive-minded player who could handle the puck and set up teammates. He'll be asked to do similar things for his college team.

"He's got such great passing ability that you like to have someone like Joe handling the puck on the power play," said Gwozdecky. "If you stick a guy like that in front of the net, he doesn't do a whole lot other than tip pucks, set screens, and get rebounds - not that those things aren't valuable. But I think Joe's skill set brings us more value in other areas on the power play."

However, Gwozdecky and the Bruins project Colborne to grow into his body and add some sandpaper. Once Colborne improves his puck protection and net-front skills, the winger could become a hybrid, with power and skill in his game. Colborne's shortcomings in the physical game and questions about his willingness to compete were concerns scouts had about his game before the Bruins tapped him in the first round.

"The emotion that is displayed every time you step on the ice for practice or a game is something every player coming from junior hockey has to adjust to," said Gwozdecky. "How hard you have to compete every time you step on the ice. That can be a real shock for certain freshmen. Joe is learning that like the rest of the freshman class. He's a quick learner. He's a very intelligent young guy. He's a hard worker. He wants to do well."

On the road again

Last night, the Bruins opened the season on the road for the third straight year. The last time that happened was from 1958-61.

Of their 11 games this month, eight are away from TD Banknorth Garden, with the first four taking place on the road. Last season, the Bruins went 3-2-0 on their opening road trip.

"We never put enough emphasis on that, the importance of having a good start," said coach Claude Julien. "When you have a good start, you can survive the little bumps in the road in the season as you go along. When you don't, it's really hard to catch up, because you don't have the luxury of hitting bumps in the road. Every time you catch up and hit a bump, you're right back to where you were. We know how important it is to have a good start. It's one of the keys to this month."

Select company

Before the game, the Avalanche honored the 2008 inductees into the US Hockey Hall of Fame: Cammi Granato (sister of Colorado coach Tony Granato), Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, and Mike Richter. The players were named to this year's class Aug. 12 and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight . . . Paul Stastny, Colorado's No. 1 center, will continue to use a wood stick this season. Stastny is one of a handful of NHLers who still prefer wood over composite. Stastny said he goes through roughly one Sher-Wood per game, with the stick taking most of its abuse during faceoffs. "I'm so used to it," Stastny said. "I don't have the hardest shot in the world. But it's all about where you put it." . . . Stastny reported that older brother Yan, a former Bruin, is doing well with St. Louis. Yan broke camp with the big boys . . . Andrew Alberts and Petteri Nokelainen were the healthy scratches . . . Julien said Manny Fernandez would probably start against the Wild, his former team, tomorrow night. But Julien cautioned that things could change. "It's not going to be about controversy," Julien said. "It's about going with the goaltender that's got the hot hand. It's not about competing against each other. It's about competing for themselves, playing well, and earning that spot."