At All Florida Hockey we continue our monthly tribute to outstanding Florida youth hockey players by recognizing Andre Ortega
Andre began his team-sports journey playing soccer at the tender age of five years. With both of his older sisters playing competitive travel soccer, Andre was naturally around the ball a lot, and he quickly took to the sport.
By six years of age, Andre was playing travel soccer, and at age seven, he earned a spot with a Miramar team that played short-field 3 v 3. This experience taught him about the importance of practice, drills, being a team player and being coachable. That Miramar 3 v 3 team went on to participate in the Disney 3 v 3 national soccer tournament where they came away with the silver medal in their division, and Andre came away hooked on the thrill of competing and winning in organized team sports, something that has come to define a large part of his life ever since.
Andre's family were all big hockey fans, though, and the more Andre was exposed to hockey the more he began losing interest in soccer and developing a burning desire to learn to play hockey. His dad Carlos obliged by teaching him how to skate, starting with in-line roller skates. Andre would come home from soccer and put on his skates and with many hours of practice, he became a highly proficient skater.
In February of 2016, Andre finally got his chance to get on the ice, and hasn't looked back since!With the support of his dad and family, Andre started taking private lessons, and getting as much ice time as possible, working tirelessly on his individual skills and developing his understanding of the game, and all the while an unbridled passion for the game of hockey grew in him.
Andre's first travel hockey season was as a second year Squirt, and during the Columbus Day tournament he was the tournament points leader, no mean feat for a boy in his first year of travel hockey, but much of what he learned in soccer about hard work and team spirit carried over well to his new life as a hockey player.
Andre spent three seasons at the Golden Wolves travel hockey program during which time his individual skills and understanding of the game grew by leaps and bounds. After three years with the Wolves, circumstance motivated him to look for a change in scenery, and this led him to join the Palm Beach Hawks, where he entered in his first year of Bantam 14UA, moving up to 14UAA the following season. He has since continued to play at the AA level, and is now in his second year midgets 16UAA with the Palm Beach Hawks.
Passion, dedication, discipline, motivation and coachability are all critical traits that any hockey player must possess, and Andre is abundantly gifted in all of these areas, making him an obvious choice for superlative player of the month! All Florida Hockey is honored to recognize Andre Ortega, our October 2022 Player of the Month! Congratulations Andre!!