Joe Colborne is ready to make impact on the Maple Leafs

Joe Colborne knows this is a wonderful “opportunity” to break training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 6-foot-5 centre played a pair of playoff games for the Leafs last season and impressed management filling in for an injured Tyler Bozak.

That earned him a one-year contract this off season. Colborne, a former 1^st round pick, now hopes to springboard that success into playing a significant role in the NHL this season.

“No more pressure than I’ve put on myself in the past,” said Colborne on the eve of training camp. “Having that opportunity to come up and show the coaching staff last year was a huge advantage for me. I’m ready to go out and have a great camp. I’m looking forward to showing what I can do.”

Colborne has worked hard this off-season to improve his skating and has added some much needed weight to his lanky frame.

“I’m up over 220 pounds now which is a good weight for me. I feel more comfortable,” said the 23 year-old, who played just 5 regular season games with the Maple Leafs last season, where he failed to register a point. “I feel more powerful on the ice being heavier. It’s mostly good weight and I’m excited to show what I can do.”

“It was nice to be healthy for a full summer, I haven’t had that in a while. I was able to get back and start working out early and get quite a bit stronger.”

In a perfect world, the Leafs would have TylerBozak, Nazem Kadri, David Bolland and Joe Colborne up the middle.

I can see Jay McClement (a 4^th line centre a year ago) playing on the wing on the 3^rd line with Bolland to create a shut-down line.

This is a great chance for Colborne who had 42 points in 65 games with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League last season, to make his mark with the Maple Leafs this season.

*

Colborne meantime had a tough summer in his hometown of Calgary, where flooding devastated the community.

"I'm carrying photo albums out of my friends homes, and all those memories were destroyed," said Colborne. "I've never seen anything like it before. You think it would never happen (in your hometown.)"

The flooding did not hit Colborne's home but it did not hit in areas where some of his friends lived.

Colborne said watching the Calgary Stampede, held 2 months after the flooding was something that made him "so proud" of his community.