Teammate John Mitchell knows what Colborne is going through.
Mitchell, who is from Oakville, Ontario, began his NHL career with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs before eventually being traded to the New York Rangers.
He recalled being excited for that first contest against the Maple Leafs.
"You always want to bring your A-game every game, but I think there is just that little extra motivation when you're playing your hometown team," Mitchell said. "I think Joe will be psyched to play this game, for sure."
Off the ice, Colborne's transition with a new team has been fairly smooth since he signed a two-year deal with Colorado on July 1.
He had previously attended college down the road at the University of Denver and joined the Avs as a newcomer with Patrick Wiercioch, an old friend from his playing days with the Pioneers. It didn't take long for Colborne to get adjusted to his new surroundings.
"Any time you get to a new team and new organizations, things are done a little bit differently, but the guys were so good at accepting me. We got a real tight group, fun group to be around," Colborne said. "There haven't been enough wins for us, obviously. That's the main thing and that's the only real negative I can think of right now."
However, his on-ice performance has had its ups and downs.
Colborne began the season by scoring three goals for his first career hat trick in the team's opening-night win over the Dallas Stars, but he hasn't netted anything since. He's not the only one, as the entire squad has struggled to find consistency offensively this season.
"It's been a grind. It's frustrating when you're coming and you have that great start and you want to be able to come out and continue to produce like that," Colborne said. "And then we start losing more games than we think we should. It's been a battle. The biggest thing is just trying to stay positive and make sure that my work ethic is there."
