Andreas Kvalheim was born in raised in Trondheim, a city in Norway. Hockey isn't a popular sport in Trondheim, as like many other places in Norway, skiing and football are the dominant sports. There are countless small ski slopes within a reasonable distance from Trondheim, and the city is also home to Rosenborg BK, the most succesful team in Norweigan football. As such, a young Andreas was much more interested in football than hockey. However, that all changed when the Norweigan IIHF team shocked the world to win a gold medal at the S35 IIHF tournament. That tournament inspired a generation of young kids to purusue hockey, and an eight-year old Andreas was no exception. His parents signed him up for the local hockey club, and Kvalheim, who modelled his game around his idols Chris York and Chester Cunningham, quickly became a dominant player, able to beat his opponents with his combination of size and skill.