Eric Sonnenberg

I moved away from home at the age of 17 to play my first season in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The next season I was released and started playing for the Olds Grizzlys of the AJHL. Part way through that season I was traded to the Lloydminster Blazers, also in the AJHL.

At the age of nineteen I tried out and made the roster of the Regina Pats (WHL) as a walk-on invite. We were, at one point in the season, ranked in the top 10 of the CHL. My role on the team mainly consisted of penalty killing where we boasted a 91%. 

In my final year of junior I came back to the AJHL and played for the Drayton Valley Thunder. This was one of my favourite seasons... I was coached by one of my favourite coaches.

The next year I decided to attend college and play for the NAIT Ooks. This was another strong team where we made it to the league final and lost in the final game of the series. There I led the team in scoring and finished the school year receiving the Jason Lang scholarship for academic excellence.

The next year I was given the opportunity to try out for a nationally broadcasted reality TV series, Making the Cut. Out of a nationwide tryout of over 7,000 contestants, I was selected. I made it to the top 16 and went to Toronto for the live broadcast of the series finally. Six were selected out of the sixteen to attend all six Canadian NHL teams training camps. I was not selected but was personally invited by Mike Keenan of the Florida Panthers to attend their Rookie training camp.

After the camp I was offered a contract with the Florida Panthers and ended up playing my first Professional season with the Texas Wildcatters, an affiliate of the Florida Panthers and not returning to college. During this season was when I was called up to the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League and played my one and only American league game.

The next year I signed a contract with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. A week before the season opener I was traded to the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL), where I would spend the next two seasons.

After two seasons in Wheeling, my wife and I decided we wanted to play somewhere a little warmer and signed a contract with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) in California.

After a tough decision and many injuries later, we decided to come back to Canada and stop playing professional hockey.

I went back to NAIT to play one final season with the Ooks, where I graduated with a diploma in Construction Engineering.

I am currently working with my three brothers and am part of a family owned and operated construction company.  

I have spent the last eight years coaching at the minor hockey level and during that time have started to establish this company with my brother Martin. We both love the game and want to stay connected through the development and mentorship of young players.