VANCOUVER – Fifth-year Thunderbird
Michael Stenerson is getting a jump on his professional hockey career having signed a contract with the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets.
A product of Surrey, B.C., Stenerson played two seasons of NCAA Division I hockey with the University of Vermont before transferring to UBC where he spent the last three years as a key piece of a rejuvenated Thunderbirds program.
Through 20 regular season games in 2018-19 with UBC, Stenerson amassed five goals and 13 points. Through 74 career games with the T-Birds, the 5-foot-11, 185 pound forward contributed 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points and 34 penalty minutes.
"I'm obviously disappointed with how our season at UBC ended, but I'm excited for this new opportunity professionally," said Stenerson who joined the Komets earlier this week. "At the end of last year I planned it out with our coaches to organize my courses so I would have the opportunity to try pro if the opportunity presented itself and I'm excited it did."
One of the fastest skaters in the Canada West, Stenerson brings a wide skillset to the Komets who have 20 games remaining in their regular season schedule, currently sitting fourth in the ECHL's Central division with a 25-18-3-6 record. Stenerson joins a long-time former teammate and good friend in Brady Shaw in Fort Wayne, giving him some instant familiarity with a brand new situation.
"I played with him in junior and then he was also my teammate and roommate at Vermont. Once my season was done, Sven and I looked at some options and when Fort Wayne came up and offered me an opportunity I was extremely excited. The coach wants to play a high paced game and I think with my speed up the middle I can contribute and help the team win."
It's a bittersweet time for Stenerson who is realizing the start of what is hopefully a long professional career. At the same time, he ends a very enjoyable and memorable chapter.
"My three years at UBC were awesome. I owe a lot to Sven, Kelvin (Cech), and Kevin (Seibel) for helping develop my game and become more of a pro-style two-way player. My teammates were unreal, some of the best guys I know and now lifelong friends, they made my time at UBC that much more enjoyable coming to the rink everyday, and playing with them was always fun. They pushed me to be a better player. For any player coming out of junior hockey, I would highly recommend heading to UBC to get your degree and then still have an opportunity to pursue professional hockey."
