#NCDCAwards: Ogden Mustangs Named Mountain Division 2023-24 Organization Of The Year
By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The National Collegiate Development Conference is proud to announce that the Ogden Mustangs have been named the Mountain Division 2023-24 Organization Of The Year.
This award recognizes all aspects of an organization, from performance on the ice, to the hockey operations and management off the ice, and a team’s relationship with the community.
Throughout the season, packed houses were the norm at the beautiful Weber County Ice Sheet, a facility partly known for its scenic view, during daytime events, of the Wasatch Range through its giant picture windows at the far end of the rink.
The Mustangs averaged 1,100 fans per home game during the regular season and that number saw a boost to 1,300 during the playoffs, as the Mustangs eventually won the Mountain Division title. They will now travel east to Foxboro, Mass., to begin the best-of-three Dineen Cup Finals on Friday, April 26.
The Mustangs also won the Mountain Division regular season title, and they finished second overall in the NCDC only to the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders, finishing just seven points behind first. The Mustangs featured the league’s top goal-scorer and rookie scorer in Parker Osborn, three goaltenders (Nikita Volsky, Vlad Bryzgalov and Tade Carman) who finished in the top 10 for goals against average, and the league’s fifth highest-scoring defenseman in Teddie Hember.
The team is owned by Sean and Kimberly Wilmert. Steve Dolatowski is in charge of GameDay Operations, Tim Smith is Director of Sales and Marketing, Richard Armstrong is the Team Broadcaster, Laura and Tim Smith are the Billet Coordinators, and who can forget Murray the Mustang, the Team Mascot? Murray is part of an exciting overall gameday experience, that features light shows and in-game entertainment.
“Wow, I am honored to receive this award. This award goes to the 40-plus people that do all the work behind the scenes,” said Sean Wilmert. He and Kimberly have owned the Mustangs for four years. “The Ogden Mustangs could not operate without them. Starting with our Director of Operations, Director of Marketing, the 20 security personnel that work every game, to the announcers, play-by-play broadcasters and score keepers. Then you have the coaches: Mental Performance, Skating, Goalie, Defense coaches and obviously Kenny. Orlando. I can’t forget some of the most important people in our organization and those are the billet families. This is such an honor.”
Kenny Orlando is the Head Coach and GM of the Mustangs, and he is assisted by Brad Zangs. Steven Soto is the Goaltending Coach, A.J. Kapinos is the Mental Performance Coach and Christian Grunnah is the Skating Coach. Jeff Speckman and Katie Christie are the Mustangs Athletic Trainers. Lindsay Hassell is the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Dave Putnam is the Strength and Conditioning Coach. David Dew is the Head Scout, and leads a scouting department that also includes Ross Phipps, Mike Merana, Kevin McClelland, Scott Salamon and Chris Orlando.
“Winning this award is very exciting for our organization, as it shows our continual efforts to put out a quality product from top to bottom,” said Coach Orlando. “More importantly, this is a win for our fans, as they’re the heart and soul of this program in Ogden and make the gameday experience what it is. Year after year, we have a dedicated fan base that never disappoints. Sharing this award with the Ogden community is an honor.”
The NCDC congratulates the Ogden Mustangs for being named the inaugural Mountain Division Organization 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.
