Photo by Amy Gutierrez/Allen Americans

Colton Yellow Horn has finally landed somewhere. He’s signed with the Central Hockey League’s Allen Americans for the remainder of this season and although he’s excited about going to a young club, he’s seen the difference between junior hockey and the professional game.

Yellow Horn says there are less mistakes made in pro hockey.

“There’s more experience up here and there’s not as many mistakes here. Those mistakes you do make usually end up in the back of your net.”

Just 22, the ‘Brocket Rocket’ has had a rough and tumble existence as a pro, the Americans are already his fourth team.

After coming back from Austria, Yellow Horn signed on with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals in upstate New York and piqued the interest of the Rochester Americans, who dispatched scouts to evaluate him last spring.

But after beginning the year with the Jackals, Yellow Horn bounced around a bit before landing in Texas. He went coast-to-coast but not the way he wanted to.

The Jackals traded him to the Stockton Thunder where he played with his best friend Judd Blackwater for thirteen games before being released.

“They said I wasn’t scoring as much as they wanted me to. I consider myself a playmaker rather than a goal scorer,” said Yellow Horn of his release from Stockton. “But I did generate offence for them. But it just wasn’t the right place at the right time.”

But being released doesn’t do a whole lot for your confidence.

Before being signed to a contract, Allen Americans Head Coach and General Manager spoke to Yellow Horn. “The biggest thing was that he still wanted to play,” said Mullins. “He wanted an opportunity to get somewhere and get settled. There’s no doubt about it, I spoke to the Dallas Stars and he’s got major league talent but he’s got to do something extra to take that step up.”

At just 5’7, Yellow Horn has always been able to elevate his game.

“You know what I like about him? He’s fearless. He goes into places where goal scorers go and he has a quick stick and that’s a big positive. He just needs to be a little more consistent and work harder,” said Mullins. “At the end of the day he’s got to think about how bad he wants to take this next step.”

But for now Yellow Horn is thankful to be on a team that wants him.

“It’s a good deal here and I like it a lot. They treat me well here,” said Yellow Horn of his new team, the Allen Americans. “There’s a lot of excitement here. We’re a new team and generating excitement for our growing fan base.”

Allen is a suburb of the Greater Dallas Area.

With that comes some perks.

“I wear shorts and flip flops most of the time and we like to go golfing once in a while,” said Yellow Horn. “We’ve attended some Dallas Stars and Cowboys games as well so that’s exciting.”

His team, the Allen Americans have about thirty games left in their regular season and they’re in second place. “We’re looking okay. We’ve got a shot at doing something special here and I want to be a part of it.”

“For right now I’ll work hard and see what happens for next season.”