Lee chose to attend the University of North Dakota and played for the college team for two years.

Lee made his NHL regular season debut on March 25, 2008, against the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena in a 6–3 win for Ottawa.

[2] He was later recalled and finished the season with Ottawa, recording 13 points in 53 NHL games and assuming a more defensive role.

Following the training camp for the 2009–10 season, Lee was once again assigned to Binghamton, while AHL veteran Matt Carkner and newcomer Erik Karlsson remained with Ottawa.

In the following 2012–13 season, on May 17, 2013, while playing with the Syracuse Crunch during the American Hockey League Eastern Conference semifinals against the Springfield Falcons, Lee suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament which required surgery,[4] and he opened the 2013–14 NHL season on Tampa Bay's long-term injured reserve list.

[6] Brian's brother, John, played NCAA Division I ice hockey with the University of Denver.