The Flyers have made a couple of hockey operations hires over the course of the offseason, designed to bolster the organization's scouting and player development operations in Europe. Most notably, veteran KHL coach and retired former player Oleg Znarok (Olegs Znaroks) has been hired as a European player development and scouting consultant. His role is similar to that of Sami Kapanen, but Znarok's focus is on talent from Russia, Belarus, Latvia and other former Soviet republics.
The 61-year-old Znarok was a four time KHL coach of the year (2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2016-17 seasons) during his coaching stints with HC MVD and later with SKA St. Petersburg. He also had a stint coaching the Russian national team.
During Znarok's playing days, the Russian-Latvian was a star forward for Dinamo Riga. Also of note: New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin is Znarok's son-in-law, married to his daughter Alisa (a well-known Latvian-born fashion model and vlogger).
A less internationally splashy but still important hiring: The Flyers hired 55-year-old Reid Simpson as their new director of European pro scouting. A former NHL player who was initially drafted by the Flyers and pro into pro hockey with the AHL's Hershey Bears and the NHL parent club (one game), Simpson was a fourth-line enforcer/checker during a 301-game NHL career.
Late in his playing days, Simpson played two seasons in the KHL with Vityaz Chekov when the team was best known for importing a slew of foreign thought guy players. Simpson racked up 300 penalty minutes in 41 games his first season with Vityaz and 231 PIM in 36 games his second year. Subsequently, Simpson began his post playing career in the Vityaz front office as the team's assistant general manager.
From 2016-17 through the end of the 2023-24 season, Simpson was employed as a pro hockey scout by the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. The move to the Flyers to become the director of pro scouting in Europe represents a promotion from his previous role in Montreal.
Side note: Simpson hails from Bob Clarke's home town of Flin Flon, Manitoba. He started out with the famed Flin Flon Bombers before moving up to major junior hockey with the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders. At the 1989 NHL Draft, Flyers general manager Clarke selected Simpson in the fourth round (72nd overall).
Clarke's successor, Russ Farwell, elected not to re-sign Simpson after the 1991-92 season. The player signed with the Minnesota North Stars' IHL affiliate in Kalamazoo. After a year in the International Hockey League (195 PIM in 45 games), Simpson became part of the North Stars' NHL roster. Clarke was no longer the North Stars' general manager by that point, as he'd returned to the Flyers for a year as senior VP of hockey operations. However, Clarke's recommendation of Simpson factored in GM/coach Bob Gainey taking notice of the player.
Later, Simpson became a well-traveled NHL enforcer for the New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Canadiens, and Nashville Predators. His recent hiring to the Flyers hockey operations staff marks his first time back in the Flyers organization in the last 32 years.
For a full rundown of the Flyers 2024-25 hockey operations staff under the direction of hockey ops president Keith Jones and general manager Danny Briere,
click here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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