Simon Després was on the road between Montreal and Fort Wayne, Indiana, when the next chapter of a long hockey trip came into focus. The 35-year-old defenseman has signed with the Fort Wayne Komets, returning to North American pro hockey after seasons that carried him through Europe, Scotland and Australia.
For Després, the ECHL stop is another chance to measure himself in a familiar hockey environment — and another opportunity to keep playing a game he has refused to leave behind since a head injury derailed what once looked like a secure NHL career.
From NHL regular to a worldwide hockey route
- Pittsburgh selected Després with the 30th pick in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-4 blue-liner went on to play parts of six NHL seasons with the Penguins and Anaheim Ducks from 2011 through 2016.
- He recorded six goals and 37 assists in 193 NHL regular-season games, adding one goal and six assists across 29 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.
- After Pittsburgh traded him to Anaheim in March 2015, Després took on meaningful minutes for a Ducks club that reached Game 7 of the Western Conference Final.
- A five-year deal signed in October 2015 appeared to establish Anaheim as his long-term landing spot. Després said he believed his future was set after handling playoff minutes against elite opponents.
- That picture changed in his first game of the 2016-17 season, when he suffered a head injury. He did not play another game for the Ducks, who bought out his contract in June 2017.
Després kept watching players who had lost major time to similar injuries and found motivation in their returns. He pointed to Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and David Perron as examples of players who missed a full season yet continued well into their 30s.
“That gave me some inspiration after experiencing something along those lines,” Després said.
New leagues, new countries
The first move after the Anaheim buyout took Després to Slovan Bratislava in the KHL for 2017-18. He initially viewed the league as a possible bridge back to the NHL, but the only later North American opportunities were a Montreal Canadiens tryout and a short stint with Laval in the American Hockey League.
Instead, the overseas route expanded. Després played in Germany, Sweden and Austria, collecting consecutive DEL championships with Eisbären Berlin in 2021 and 2022.
Berlin remains one of the defining stops. Després praised the building and the atmosphere around the club, saying the rink could stack up with some NHL venues and recalling fans chanting loudly while dressed in team colours for championship runs in Germany’s capital.
“Those were among the best experiences of my life,” he said, describing the combination of hockey, travel and a new culture.
He later played in the United Kingdom with Nottingham, Glasgow and Fife. The travel became part of the draw for a player who had grown up focused almost exclusively on reaching the NHL.
“I’m curious and I enjoy seeing the world,” Després said. “Once I was no longer tied to an NHL contract, I had the freedom to choose where I wanted to go.”
Australia added another turn
- During his season with Fife, Després became a teammate of former NHL forward David Booth. The two had crossed paths briefly years earlier at Ducks camp but got to know one another in Scotland.
- Booth, fresh off a championship in Australia, invited Després to join him in Melbourne. Després accepted after hearing positive reviews of coach Kerry Goulet and the experience with the Melbourne Ice.
- Després spent the summer with Melbourne in the Australian Ice Hockey League, a semi-professional circuit where many local players balance hockey with regular jobs.
- With small rosters and limited depth, imported players can carry heavy workloads. Després estimated that he logged between 35 and 40 minutes in one game when Melbourne dressed 13 players and only four defensemen.
- The league listed him for three goals and 17 assists in 16 games, though Després said five assists were missed in the official scoring.
Even with a different operating structure from the leagues he knew in Europe and North America, Després came away impressed by hockey’s following in Australia.
“They really love hockey there,” he said. “There’s a strong fan base and a lot of room for that league to grow.”
Fort Wayne brings the next test
Després was still in Australia when the Komets reached out. The chance to return to North America and face professional competition there appealed to him, particularly after so many years abroad.
He is not treating age 35 as a finish line. Després cited Jaromir Jagr as an extreme example of a player extending a career across decades. Jagr, 54, said in March that his playing career was likely finished, although he has not formally announced retirement.
“When you look at someone like that, I feel very young,” Després said. “I’m not saying I’ll play that long, but I’ll probably be playing hockey my whole life, professionally or otherwise.”
Fort Wayne also may not close the book on his international stops. Després expects to take part in ice hockey classics in Scotland and Australia next spring and summer, and he said he intends to remain on the ice after this season.
He understands the uncertainty that comes with a history of injury. Each time he signs and studies a schedule, Després said he wonders how his body will respond. But when a season ends and another offer arrives, he keeps choosing to play.
“I approach every game a little like it could be my last,” he said. “It helps me appreciate it.”
For the veteran defenseman, the answer is no longer complicated: hockey remains both his profession and his outlet.
“It’s my craft,” Després said. “When I’m playing, I can express myself. The kid in me still loves it, and that’s why I keep going.”
