By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The NCDC will be previewing each of the 21 teams set to hit the ice during the 2024-25 season in a continuing series up to the Sept. 19 start of the new campaign.
Ogden Mustangs
Mountain Division
Home Arena: Weber County Sports Complex
Head Coach: Kenny Orlando
The Ogden Mustangs made some outstanding history last year: First team to win the NCDC Mountain Division championship. First Mountain team to play an Eastern U.S. NCDC team. First Mountain team to beat an Eastern U.S. New England team. First Mountain team to win a Dineen Cup Finals game.
But the history they were really looking for didn’t come to fruition, and the Dineen Cup ended up just out of reach, despite a heroic game-tying late goal by former Mustang defenseman Teddie Hember to force overtime in Game 3 of the Dineen Cup finals.
All of that experience – and there’s a lot of it coming back in some outstanding veterans – plays into how the Mustangs have prepared for Year 2 in the NCDC.
“Between the Draft, tenders, vast scouting efforts and camps, our program is constantly at work through the summer,” said Mustangs GM/Head Coach Kenny Orlando. “Many of the tendered players we signed have made it through to our team’s starting roster. The scouting efforts of covering events from California all the way through Europe helped place us in a good starting point with players that we believe can play at this level.”
The character of the team matches the Mustang way established back at their founding in 2011 – fearless, hungry, and refusing to be out-worked.
“We have a hard-working team with guys that are willing to earn their spot every day and pay close attention to the minute details,” added Orland. “The mindset in the room is where we want it to be at this time. We are excited to push a team of majority raw junior players to a new level of development in their careers, both on and off the ice.”
Orlando returns as Head Coach and GM for his fifth season, and in his first four years, the team was always top two in their division. Orlando is a former college coach at the ACHA level, and has also coached in the North American Hockey League.
Joining him once again will be Associate Head Coach and Assistant GM Nick Dreyer, who previously was Head Coach and GM over different years with the former Provo Predators and also coached with the Mustangs in the USPHL Premier prior to their move to the NCDC. The Mustangs’ Director of Scouting David Dew is in his second season with the team and has already put his stamp on the program.
Returning to the players, we see a numerous and powerful group of returning players, including forwards Brody Simko, Roman Cherniak, Max Von Klinggraeff and Tommy Jacques. On the defense, the Mustangs return one of the deepest veteran blue line corps in the league – Grant Hineman, Owen Hendrikson, Jack Bartfield, Ethan Hall, and Richard Durina.
“All these players help keep the culture set in the locker room and understand the expectations of success being a player for the Ogden Mustangs,” added Orlando. “This group of returners represents high-end character and a willingness to compete that we will have every night.”
The Mustangs’ scouting efforts yielded a couple of additional players with the same level of experience, such as Ryan Tong and Caleb Bendell.
“Ryan, a defenseman, comes to us from Canada, having one year of BCHL and one year of AJHL experience. He controls the puck well and his cerebral game is very good,” said Orlando. “Forward Caleb Bendell comes from the former Provo Predators NCDC team, where he showcased abilities to make things happen in the offensive zone.”
The team brought in several of their tenders from over the season, with a few who have really stood out early in camp.
“Billie Jacobson-Couch, an ’05 power forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., brings a great combination of speed, skill, and grit to our forward group,” said Orlando. “A.J. Iwinski, an ’05 forward from Batavia Ill., brings a level of compete that is unmatched for being a smaller player. Carter Oothoudt, a playmaker from Little Falls, Minn., brings an offensive prowess to build a scoring line around.”
The Mountain Division has always been a challenge, whether it was last year in the NCDC or during the Premier days, going back to most of these teams’ first year in the USPHL in 2020-21. Orlando loves where it’s going, and he loves how the battles prepared them to be able to win Game 1 by a 7-3 score in the Dineen Cup Finals.
“Our expectations of the Mountain Division is to see it continue to grow in the right direction with both player development and advancement,” said Orlando. “We have many quality programs out here who strive to be the best which make for competitive games every night. That’s what’s best for the players. Our expectations as a team this year are clear: Win the Mountain Division Championship and to be the first Dineen Cup Champions from the Mountain Division.”
