Originally from Nova Scotia, the birthplace of hockey, the Simmonds family moved to Scarborough where Wayne and his four brothers played hard for the Greater Toronto Hockey League. Despite this connection to Toronto, young Wayne was always a die-hard fan of the Detroit Red Wings rather than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Wayne was scouted at the Telus Cup Regional Midget tournament in 2005, and played the following season with the Brockville Braves (CJHL). He made his leap to the OHL first with the Owen Sound Attack in 2006, then with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 2007. While playing for Team Canada in 2008 at the World Junior Ice Hockey Champanionships Wayne met fellow Skillz mentor Chris Stewart. Both players remain close personal friends today.
Besides Wayne’s remarkable talent on ice he is also remembered for standing tall in the face of a number of public incidents of racist taunting, including being called a “monkey” by Czech spectators and having a banana peel thrown at him in a preseason game between the Red Wings and Flyers.
Wayne’s teammates call him ‘Simmer.’
2007–2008: OHL 3rd team All-Star
2007–2008: WJC Gold Medal winner
