Simmonds' seemingly endless energy and his willingness to grind it out along the boards and in front of his the opponent's net has helped to make him a favorite among Philadelphia Flyers fans. All of the goals he scores only add to his popularity.
Simmonds had 132 goals from 2011-12 to 2015-16, his first five seasons with Philadelphia. That was the 16th most in the NHL during that span. He has solidified himself as one of the game's top power-play threats and been consistently physical too, often finishing with well over 100 hits in a season.
Simmonds' seemingly endless energy and his willingness to grind it out along the boards and in front of his the opponent's net has helped to make him a favorite among Philadelphia Flyers fans. All of the goals he scores only add to his popularity.
Simmonds had 132 goals from 2011-12 to 2015-16, his first five seasons with Philadelphia. That was the 16th most in the NHL during that span. He has solidified himself as one of the game's top power-play threats and been consistently physical too, often finishing with well over 100 hits in a season.
A native of Scarborough, Ontario, where he helped create a summer ball hockey tournament aimed at getting local children interested in the sport, Simmonds was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (No. 61) in the 2007 NHL Draft. One of three rookies to make the team for the start of the 2008-09 NHL season, he scored his first NHL goal in his third League game in typical Simmonds fashion, poking a rebound past Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 14, 2008.
Simmonds proved to be not just productive and tough but also durable; he scored 39 goals while missing only six games during his three seasons with the Kings. He received votes for the Selke Award, given to the league's top defensive forward, after his second season.
Nevertheless, the Kings traded him with Brayden Schenn and a 2012 second-round draft choice to the Flyers for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson on June 23, 2011.
