 A former second-round NHL draft pick of the California Golden Seals in 1976, Stenlund played professionally with the Barons, as well as both the Salt Lake Golden Eagles and Phoenix Roadrunners of the Central Hockey League.Also a standout junior player, Stenlund enjoyed a tremendous junior career in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights, where he led the team in scoring with 119 points in the 1975–76 season.After retiring from hockey, he earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1994 and went on to become an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor.