By Alexis Demopoulos
Ogden Mustangs defenseman Ryan Tong is thrilled to announce his NCAA Division III commitment to University of Wisconsin-River Falls for the 2025-26 season.
Tong, a Burnaby, B.C., native, signed with the Mustangs for the 2024-25 season and has had a tremendous season with them. In 53 regular season games played, Tong put up 30 points (seven goals, 23 assists) from the blue line and was also chosen as a Mountain All-Star back in January.
“The Ogden Mustangs are a great organization to play for,” said Tong. “I’ve been treated very well by ownership (Sean Wilmert), management and the coaching staff (Kenny Orlando, Nick Dreyer), my billet family and the great fan base. Seeing how successful the team was last year and seeing the constant fan support Ogden has for their games made it easy for me to sign with Ogden for the 2024-25 season.”
Tong started communicating with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls coaching staff over Christmas break. He explained that the coaching staff really took an interest in his “hockey IQ as well as skating and puck skills.”
Tong was drawn to University of Wisconsin-River Falls for their great academics and reputable hockey program. He was a big fan of Head Coach Steve Freeman, who has coached nearly 30 seasons there.
“What interested me at first about the University of Wisconsin-River Falls was how highly regarded the hockey and academic programs are,” said Tong. “Head coach Freeman has been coaching River Falls for a long time and has been very successful in the past. Also, assistant coaches Sean Roadhouse and Michael Smits have great resumes and are alumni players of River Falls as well.”
Playing in Utah, Tong has not had the opportunity to see the campus in person yet but with all the pictures he has seen, he is very eager to get there in the fall.
Tong is planning to put hard work in during this offseason to be the best version of himself he can be for the next level.
“I’m continuing to work on next year to continue to get stronger and faster as well as my consistency, so that I can be an impact player every game with the University of Wisconsin River Falls,” said Tong.
The Mustangs finished the regular season with a 37-13-2-0 record and are gearing up for their playoff series with the Utah Outliers. Tong is hoping his team can go all the way this year.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to compete for the Dineen Cup,” said Tong. “Obviously, with how close the Mustangs came to winning it all last year, a lot of the returning players feel like there’s unfinished business. This year it’s definitely a focus for me and the team to win it all this year.”
The NCDC congratulates Ryan Tong, his family, the Ogden Mustangs and University of Wisconsin-River Falls for his commitment.
