Austin Ortega

Did You Know?

• Ortega is of Mexican and Filipino descent.
• He first became interested in ice hockey after watching a game at the Escondido Ice-Plex at age five.
• His parents are Frank and Tessie Ortega.

Playing career

Ortega was a forward for the Omaha Mavericks from 2013 through 2017. As a freshman, he set a program record for the quickest goal from the start of a game during a 6-0 shutout of Colorado College on February 28, 2014. That season, he earned a Bauer NCHC Rookie of the Week award and a spot on the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team. The next year, he broke an NCAA record by notching eight game-winning goals, beating Doug Weight's old mark of seven. After serving as team captain in his senior year, Ortega turned pro with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. He spent two seasons there before moving to the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies, where he was named ECHL Player of the Month within his first two months. He then left North America to sign with the Växjö Lakers in the SHL. In February 2019, he joined the Eisbären Berlin of Germany's DEL for the rest of that season, putting up two goals and three assists in his first weekend. During a preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks in October 2019, broadcaster Pat Foley remarked, "Ortega, who sounds like he ought to be a shortstop." Ortega declined to speak with Foley after the game but later accepted his apology. When the DEL implemented a league-wide salary waiver for the 2020–21 season as part of licensing, Ortega agreed to waive his contract and left Berlin. His next contract, with TPS, was terminated in October because "expectations were not met." At that point, he had recorded six points over 16 games.