Carlos Ortega
| Carlos Ortega | |
|---|---|
| No. 76 | |
| Position | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 27th, 1999 Miami, Biscayne, Mayami |
| Career history | |
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| Career hightlights and awards | |
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Carlos Ortega (born August 27th, 1999) is a Mayamian-born Valorian professional ice hockey player who currently captains the Mainers and plays for the Valorian National Team. He most often plays as a right wing.
Hailed for his physical prowess, speed, tactical positioning, and precision, Ortega is widely regarded as one of the finest active players in the VHL. He has won the Golden Puck twice, in 2022 and 2023, and led the Mainers to their first VHL title in 2022. That year they nearly completed the Double, making it to the Coupe Balbuzard finals but losing to the Newfoundland Sailors.
Club Career
Mainers
2019–2021: Rising stardom
The Mainers announced a two-year deal with Ortega on May 24th, 2018.
2022: First championship
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2023–2024: Continued fight for the title
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2024: Contract wars
With a two-time Golden Puck-winning Ortega's contract running out in the summer of 2024, both the Boston Spirits and Newfoundland Sailors expressed interest in signing Ortega. Rumors exploded in November and December of 2023, with reports indicating the Spirits were willing to open negotiations with a $10m yearly salary which would make Ortega by far the highest paid player for his age in the VHL. These reports were confirmed on January 14th, when the Spirits unveiled a $52m offer: $10m/y over four years, with a $12m signing bonus. The Newfoundland Sailors responded later the same day with a similar contract but more money on offer: $11m over four years, and a $15m signing bonus. Spirits manager Chris Lindstrom described the Sailor's response as "obvious and expected," but said the Spirits "more than beat" their offer. Thus began the bidding war for Ortega for 2025 and beyond.
On January 15th, the day after the Spirits made their initial offer, the Mainers announced their own contract, beating both of the previous ones: $15m/y over four years, with a $20m signing bonus. Journalists commented that the Mainers hoped to 'shut down the conversation' by offering Ortega a significantly larger contract than either of their rivals, hoping to secure his signature early, before other teams could muster up larger contracts.
Despite the Mainers' efforts, both the Spirits and the Sailors would respond on the 17th, offering even larger contracts. The three teams continued to escalate contracts in a bidding war: on January 26th the Mainers offered an all-time-record-breaking $111m contract: $20m/y over four years, with a $31m signing bonus. Despite this, the bidding war continued. Ortega himself remained tight-lipped on the state of negotiations, only commenting that he was "talking to all three teams."
Eventually, with the all-time record being broken with every new offer, commentators shifted the conversation from which team could offer the biggest contract, and instead focusing on which team would be the best fit for Ortega.
International Career
Year-by-year record
| Year | League Results | Pts. | Playoffs | Coupe Balbuzard | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainers | |||||
| 2019 | 12th | 23 | - | Runners-up | |
| 2020 | Cancelled | ||||
| 2021 | 5th | 38 | - | Round of 16 | |
| 2022 | Second | 40 | Champions (1st title) | Runners-up | Golden Puck (1) |
| 2023 | Second | 43 | Runners-up | Round of 16 | Golden Puck (2) |
| 2024 | Third | 39 | TBD | TBD | |