TORONTO — The Toronto Marlies have hired Ben Simon as an assistant coach.
Simon will work with head coach Gord Dineen and associate coach Derek King behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate for the 2014-15 season.
Simon, 36, served as head coach of the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones last season. Under his direction, Cincinnati finished the regular season fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-23-4-4.
The Shaker Heights, Ohio native led the Cyclones to the Kelly Cup Final where they were defeated by the Alaska Aces in six games.
Prior to joining Cincinnati at the start of the 2013-14 season, Simon served as an assistant coach for two seasons with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.
As a rookie head coach in 2010-11, Simon led the Sheffield Steelers to the Elite Ice Hockey League Championship in England.
During his playing career, Simon played in 81 NHL games, registering four points and 47 penalty minutes with the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Simon was originally drafted in the fifth round, 110th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1997 draft.
Simon also appeared in 44 regular-season games with the Marlies in 2009-10, collecting eight points and 51 penalty minutes.
