Wayne Simmons among Philadelphia Flyers’ new hires

The Philadelphia Flyers announced several new hires within their hockey operations. Most notably, they revealed that former NHLer Wayne Simmonds is returning to the franchise as the new community relations ambassador and hockey operations consultant.

Simmonds played 15 seasons in the NHL, including eight with the Flyers. From 2011 to 2019, the Scarborough native played in 584 games, scoring 203 goals and 175 assists and amassing 786 penalty minutes in the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia acquired Simmonds from the Los Angeles Kings, the team that took him in the second round of the 2007 NHL Draft. Over his 1,037-game career, he played for the Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs. Simmonds registered 263 goals and 526 points, including 22 points in 53 playoff appearances.

Away from the game, Simmonds is heavily involved in community work, making him the perfect person for the new job. He founded “Wayne’s Warriors” for military members, as well as hosting a program to give underprivileged children a chance to learn the game, called “Wayne’s Road Hockey Warriors.”

Another notable addition to the Flyers’ staff is Reid Simpson, the team’s new director of European pro scouting. Simpson was taken by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 1989 draft, and played 301 games across 12 seasons with 10 different teams. Simpson had spent the last eight seasons with the Montreal Canadiens as a pro scout.

Former pro player Lindsay Eastwood has also joined the Flyers as manager of player and hockey communications. The former Syracuse University captain spent last season as the communications director of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. Before working behind the scenes, Eastwood was a big-time play with the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation, helping the team win the final Isobel Cup in 2023.

Ryan Cyr was hired as a goaltending scout and development consultant. He had previously been coaching and consulting for many junior teams after his playing career, including seven seasons in the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs. Cyr played in the WHL for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Saskatoon Blades, before making the jump to the pro ranks, spending time in the United Hockey League, ECHL and American Hockey League.

Other Philly hires include Kedryn Orrison-Pilgrim (Head athletic trainer, Lehigh Valley Phantoms), Oleg Znarok (European player development and scouting consultant) and Ellyse Robert (hockey analyst).