By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The National Collegiate Development Conference is proud to announce that the Ogden Mustangs’ Kenny Orlando has been named the Mountain Division Coach Of The Year.
The Mustangs won the Mountain Division regular season championship and also the Mountain Division playoff championship, which sends them on to the Dineen Cup Championship, which begins on Friday, April 26.
He posted a record of 37-12-3-1 for 78 points this year, which just barely edged the rival Utah Outliers for the regular season title. They would go on to defeat both the Idaho Falls Spud Kings (3-1) and Utah Outliers (3-0) in the two rounds of the Mountain Division playoffs. Now, they will face the New England Champion South Shore Kings, who had defeated the Atlantic Division Champion P.A.L. Jr. Islanders for their spot in the Dineen Cup Finals.
During the season, the Mustangs featured the league’s best overall offense (195) and had the second most wins (37), regulation wins (33) and second best goal differential overall (+70). Their special teams were outstanding all year, as well, with the No. 3 power play (22.8 percent) and penalty kill (86 percent) and third-most power play goals (49). The Mustangs also finished fourth NCDC-wide in fewest goals against (125).
A former SUNY-Canton college hockey player, he is one of the few former USPHL players to have become a head coach in the league. He played for the former Philadelphia Flyers Elite team briefly in the league’s inaugural season of 2013-14. He also played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, currently a USPHL member, when they were part of a different Tier III league.
He became an Assistant Coach for Temple University and Villanova University in the ACHA before beginning his junior coaching career as an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Austin Bruins. He has been the Mustangs’ Head Coach since they entered the USPHL in 2020-21
“I’m honored to receive this recognition, and I share this award with both the coaching staff and our players,” said Orlando. “These young men have bought into our team goals and went out to turn them into a reality. It’s been a pleasure to work with these guys all season and see them matching our staff’s passion for the game. We’ve created a tight-knit bond that’s been key to our success all year.”
The NCDC joins the Ogden Mustangs in congratulating Head Coach Kenny Orlando on being named the 2023-24 Mountain Division Coach Of The Year.
About The NCDC
The National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) was founded in 2017 as the Tuition-Free Tier II conference of the United States Premier Hockey League, itself founded in 2012. The NCDC consists of 18 teams in three divisions, two on the Eastern Seaboard and one in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
The NCDC has sent more than 250 alumni to play NCAA Division I hockey, and more than 900 overall into NCAA college hockey. There were also more than 250 alumni in pro hockey around the world during the 2023-24 season. Former NCDC player Drew O’Connor has become a regular with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, Collin Graf recently signed and has played with the San Jose Sharks, and there have been seven players selected in the NHL Entry Draft from the NCDC.
