Gudbranson grew up in the Ottawa area and was drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL where he would spend three quality seasons and represented Canada at the World Juniors before being drafted third overall by the Florida Panthers in 2010. He stepped right into the NHL with Florida and steady play on defense found the Panthers in the Playoffs after a lengthy absence. Erik spent 5 years in Florida before a trade to Vancouver and then time in Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Ottawa, Nashville, Calgary and recently signed a four-year deal with Columbus. He has over 700 NHL games and represented Canada at the World Championships in 2014.