Simmonds shares expertise as guest coach at Flyers development camp

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Wayne Simmonds provided a positive role model for Philadelphia Flyers prospects before any of the 46 players stepped on the ice for the first day of their development camp on Wednesday.

Simmonds, who played eight of his 15 NHL seasons for the Flyers, is working as a guest coach, sharing some of the expertise he gained as a power forward who played his best, including six 20-goal seasons, while anchored in front of the opposing team's net.

"We were actually joking around, he has no teeth, and one of the best net-front guys in the League when he played," Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said. "We were telling the guys, if you want to look like Wayne, you've got to sit in front of the net, be there.

"Then he had a good smile too for us. I think he scared some of the guys."

Simmonds wore that smile most of the day.

"It was nice," he said. "I had a little bit of fun today with the guys out there. It's kind of nice to share my experiences, the 15 years that I played, with these young guys. You can tell they're hungry, they're just champing at the bit to get any piece of information they can.

"Obviously I played the game the way I did, and that's what I'm going to try and lend to the guys, let them know they can pick my mind any time they want. So that's what I'm here for, just to help."

The 36-year-old, who last played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022-23, is still finding his place in the game. He did some amateur scouting for the Flyers last season, and now wants to try on-ice work to see if that could be a better fit.

"I just asked if I can come, kind of help out and kind of see what it was going on," Simmonds said. "Last year I did a bit of scouting throughout the [Ontario Hockey League] and stuff like that, so that was kind of the first of my foray, obviously, into this type of work. But I want to be on the ice with the kids and stuff like that, and kind of teach them what I've learned and the stuff I know, and just give back to the game. I talked to (assistant general manager) Alyn McCauley a little bit and they invited me to come out to development camp."

The Flyers selected several players at the 2025 NHL Draft who fit the Simmonds mold, including right wing Porter Martone (No. 6; 6-foot-3, 208 pounds) and center Jack Nesbitt (No. 12; 6-4, 185) in the first round.

"I saw both of them probably about four to five times each [last] year," Simmonds said. "Very impressed by both of them, two of the players that I was very excited about when we drafted them. Those are two guys that were identified early, from myself anyway, when I was watching them play, with their skill.

"Obviously Porter, he's a great player. Big body, owns the net front and the boards. Tremendous competitor. Jack is very smart, huge body. When he fills into his body, he's going to be unstoppable. I think of him, when I watched him play, a little bit of [Sean] Couturier. They've got great futures ahead of them and I'm just happy to be here to kind of help."

Simmonds already has been a bit of help to Martone, although he didn't realize it at the time.

Martone and his youth hockey team were here for a tournament, and he got a photo with Simmonds after watching a Flyers practice.

"That's the first thing he said to me," Simmonds said. "And I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm that old?' But it was really cool to hear."

Martone said in that moment he learned that if he ever got to the NHL, he would treat fans the same way Simmonds treated him.

"We had, I think, 50 kids, just banging on the glass the whole practice," Martone said. "Him and a couple others kind of took time during their day to come say hi to us, take a couple photos. I think that's a big thing as an NHL player, being able to give back the community, give back to little kids. ... Now that I'm here, I want to make sure I do that to kids and try to make everyone's day maybe positive and a little bit better."

The Flyers also hope Simmonds is able to lend more of his experience in creating havoc at the opposing net and along the boards. Some of those conversations happened Wednesday, with more to come as the week progresses.

"I talked to him a little bit during practice, just about some little things," Nesbitt said. "After practice, he was passing me some one-timers, and then I was out front while he was throwing tips at me and stuff like that, so that's definitely something I'm pretty happy about, that guy helping me out. It's an honor to have him out there, and I'll take advantage of that."

Armstrong said Simmonds has fit in well with the rest of the development staff, including assistant director of player development Nick Schultz, and the door will remain open for him to do more.

Simmonds has three children age 6 and younger, with a fourth due in November, but said he'd like to get more involved moving forward.

"I had a great time today, and look forward to continuing to this for now, until they tell me exactly what they want me to do," Simmonds said. "Riley has been great with me. 'Schultzy' as well, so it's been nice."