Marlies add Simon as assistant coach

The Toronto Marlies announced Tuesday that Ben Simon will join the team as an assistant coach alongside head coach Gord Dineen and associate coach Derek King 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 for 90 points. The Shaker Heights, Ohio, native led the Cyclones to the Kelly Cup Final where they were defeated by Alaska 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. In 2010-11, he won a league championship as a player/head coach with Sheffield in the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League.

During his 11-year professional playing career, Simon skated in 81 NHL games with Atlanta and Columbus. He spent time in the AHL with six teams — including the Marlies in 2009-10 — and won a Calder Cup championship with Chicago in 2002.