A 6th-round draft choice by the Nashville Predators in 2004, Santorelli was always a big goal scorer. As a junior at Northern Michigan University, Santorelli led the CCHA in goals with 30 in 41 games. That total ranked third in the entire NCAA.

After three years with the Wildcats, Santorelli signed with the Preds and began his professional career with the Milwaukee Admirals. As a rookie, Santorelli appeared in all 80 regular season games with Milwaukee and finished fourth on the team with 21 goals.

Blessed with great speed and a quick shot, Santorelli was selected to play in the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic.

“Mike Santorelli had the ability to bring people out of their seats which you don’t find very often at any level simply because of his dynamic speed and skating ability and his ability to score goals," said former Admirals Head Coach Lane Lambert

In just three seasons in Milwaukee, Santorelli scored 74 goals, which ranks second all-time in Admirals AHL history. His 171 points rank him third in that category. He led the Admirals in points in 2008-09 and 2009-10, one of only three Admirals to lead the team in scoring more than once since the franchise joined the AHL in 2001.

Santorelli stuck with the NHL Florida Panthers in 2010 and finished 3rd on the team with 20 goals that season while appearing in all 82 games.