Brett Sonne dreamed of pulling a Canada jersey over his head ever since he was a kid at Albion Elementary School. He has let that pride shine through on the ice, scoring two goals, including the game winner, in the gold medal game of the under-18 Junior World Cup. In four games during the tournament, Sonne scored five goals and added one assist. Sonne was quickly hooked on hockey. As soon as he learned that it didn’t hurt when he fell on the ice, Sonne knew he wanted to keep on playing. Sonne grew up in a hockey family, with both of his older brothers playing the sport competitively, too. He learned much from older brothers Kiel and Brennan, as well as from his parents and grandparents. At Thomas Haney School, where Sonne spent Grades 8 to 11, his older brothers and his dad Stewart Sonne, the school's principal at the time, made sure he kept on track. Many Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association coaches helped him considerably to develop his skills in all aspects of the game. And he had players like Hall of Famer Cam Neely and Brendan Morrison of his favourite NHL team, the Vancouver Canucks, to look up to along the way. Sonne had a successful year with the Port Coquitlam Buckeroos, a Junior B team. He led the Buckeroos in scoring, and was named the team’s MVP and the Pacific International Junior Hockey League's Rookie of the Year. The Calgary Hitmen had selected Sonne in the first round of the bantam draft with the 13th overall pick. Sonne lived up to his promise in his rookie season with the Hitmen, which named him the team's Rookie of the Year for the 2005–06 season.