Burnie played his college hockey with the Broncos of Western Michigan University.
[1] Undrafted by any NHL team, Burnie signed a three-year minor league contract with the New York Islanders to play for their Springfield Indians farm team, and played the 1986, 1988 and 1989 seasons in Springfield.
His tenure was not successful - he finished 14th in team scoring - and Burnie signed the following season with the Albany Choppers of the International Hockey League.
[5] Burnie signed for the remainder of the season with the Fort Wayne Komets, after which he retired from professional hockey.
Burnie played in two stints for the Canadian National Team, in 1986 and 1991, scoring a total of four goals and three assists in seven games.