Junior and college Tambellini played one season in the third-tier
Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL) with the
Port Coquitlam Buckaroos in 1999–2000. He scored 31 goals and 64 points over 41 games, earning PIJHL First Team All-Star and Rookie of the Year honours. The following season, he joined the Junior A ranks with the
Chilliwack Chiefs of the
British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), recording 51 points over 54 games in his rookie season. In 2001–02, he improved to 117 points (46 goals and 71 points), receiving the Brett Hull Trophy as the league's leading scorer along with
Matt Ellison of the
Cowichan Valley Capitals, who also scored 117 points. He was further distinguished with the Verne Dye Memorial Trophy as the Coastal Conference's most valuable player. Tambellini went on to help the Chiefs to a
Fred Page Cup as league champions, defeating the
Vernon Vipers four games to two in the finals. Advancing to the
Doyle Cup, the Chiefs beat the
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) champion
Drayton Valley Thunder by the same series score to capture the regional title. Competing for the
Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) title, Chilliwack lost in the
Royal Bank Cup semifinals. During the tournament, Tambellini was chosen as the CJHL player of the year, beating out
Jade Galbraith of the Drayton Valley Thunder and
Tim Vokey of the
Cornwall Colts. Tambellini left the Chiefs after two seasons to play
college hockey with the
Michigan Wolverines of the
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), where he served as an alternate captain. After scoring 45 points over 43 games in his freshman year, he received All-Rookie Team, Second All-Star Team and Rookie of the Year honours in the CCHA. In the playoffs, Tambellini helped the Wolverines to his first of two
Mason Cups in his college career as CCHA champions. Going into the
2003 NHL entry draft, he was ranked 21st among North American skaters by the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Scouts listed him as a superior skater and defensively responsible with leadership qualities. He went on to be selected in the first round, 27th overall, by the
Los Angeles Kings. Returning to Michigan following his draft, his offensive production declined to 27 points over 39 games. The Wolverines returned to the CCHA finals, but were defeated by the
Ohio State Buckeyes. Returning to form in 2004–05, Tambellini notched 24 goals and 57 points over 42 games, earning CCHA First All-Star Team honours. He led the Wolverines to a second Mason Cup championship in three years and was chosen as the CCHA Tournament MVP. Competing in the NCAA tournament, Tambellini was named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament and NCAA West Second All-Star Teams.
Professional On August 15, 2005, Tambellini signed an entry-level contract with the Kings, foregoing his senior year with Michigan. In late-September, he was assigned to their
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Manchester Monarchs, following his training camp with Los Angeles. The Kings lost the game 3–2, while Tambellini earned nine minutes of ice time. Playing in his third game with the Islanders, He finished the campaign with a goal and four points in 21 games with New York. As the Islanders failed to qualify for the playoffs, they assigned Tambellini to their AHL affiliate, the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers, for their
Calder Cup playoffs. The
following season, Tambellini set the Sound Tigers single-season scoring record with 76 points in 57 games. His 38 goals ranked second in the league, while his points total was seventh. He was called up to the NHL five times, he completed the season with 14 points over 36 games, while leading the Islanders in shootout percentage with three goals in five attempts. Becoming an
unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Tambellini joined the
Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2010. He signed a one-year, two-way deal paying the league-minimum $500,000 at the NHL-level and $105,000 at the minor-league level. While earning some time on the team's second line, he played the majority of the season on the fourth unit, finishing with 9 goals and 17 points over 62 games. Assigned to the team's AHL affiliate for brief periods in October and November 2010, In total, he dressed in six games with no points during the playoffs as the Canucks advanced to the
Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in team history, losing in Game 7 to the
Boston Bruins. Tambellini was the last player to wear sweater #10 for the Canucks, prior to it being retired in honor of
Pavel Bure. After becoming an unrestricted free agent once more in the off-season, Tambellini signed for the
ZSC Lions of the
National League A (NLA) in
Switzerland. By joining Zurich, he followed after his father and grandfather, who both played for the team during their careers. He was recruited to play overseas by the Lions'
Bob Hartley, who previously coached in the NHL for the
Colorado Avalanche and
Atlanta Thrashers. Tambellini became the team's premiere player in his first season with Zurich, leading the team in scoring and averaging more than 25 minutes a game. He described the Swiss league as a competitive level between the AHL and NHL. In his first season in Zurich, he won the Swiss Championship. Upon completion of an injury plagued second season with the Lions, Tambellini left as a free agent and signed a one-year contract in Sweden with
Modo Hockey of the
Swedish Hockey League on March 25, 2013. In the 2014–15 season, Tambellini skated in 30 games with
Fribourg-Gotteron of the
Swiss-A league, registering five goals and 13 points. He also played in 20 games with
Växjö Lakers in the
Swedish Hockey League, recording six goals and nine points. On July 5, 2015, the
Tampa Bay Lightning signed Tambellini to a one-year, two-way contract. in 2015 After spending the
2015–16 season with the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the
Syracuse Crunch, in which he contributed with 49 points in 65 games, Tambellini returned to Sweden in securing a one-year contract with
Djurgårdens IF of the
SHL on June 10, 2016. Tambellini left Djurgården in February, 2017, having failed to make a significant impact at Djurgården by producing only 4 goals and 5 assists in 41 games. He subsequently rejoined his former team Växjö Lakers, with whom he had won the
Le Mat Trophy in 2015. At the conclusion of the
2016–17 season, Tambellini ended his 12-year professional career, announcing his retirement while returning as an undergraduate at the
University of Michigan to complete his degree. He was also announced as the Wolverines' assistant coach. ==International play==