Ben Simon was born June 14, 1978 in Cleveland, Ohio. The 5th round choice, 110th overall selection of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Simon is a graduate of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's University of Notre Dame.
A former member of the North American Junior Hockey League's Cleveland Junior Barons, Simon was the NAHL's Rookie of the Year in 1995-96 before he joined Notre Dame in 1996-97.
Simon spent four seasons at the University of Notre Dame scoring 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) and 340 penalty minutes in 144 games. In his Junior year with Notre Dame, Simon led the Irish and tied for fifth in the CCHA with 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) and was named to the Second All-CCHA All-Star Team.
Following a successful collegiate career at Notre Dame, the Atlanta Thrashers acquired Simon from the Blackhawks prior to the 2000-01 season. In his first season of professional hockey in 2000-01, the Cleveland, Ohio native was a member of the IHL's Turner Cup champion Orlando Solar Bears and ranked second among IHL rookies in playoff points with 11 (six goals, five assists), sharing the league lead among all first-year players with six goals, and leading all rookies with a plus-six rating.
Following a successful rookie campaign with the Solar Bears, Simon joined the Thrashers AHL affiliate in Chicago and was a key player in the team's Calder Cup victory.
Even though he spent the majority of the season with Chicago, Simon played in a half a dozen games with the Thrashers. Simon again saw limited NHL action with the club in 2002-03, while continuing to hone his skills in the AHL. In the summer of 2003, Simon signed as a free agent with the Nashville Predators, however, he was re-acquired by the Thrashers shortly after and during the 2003-04 season played a career-high 52 games with the club.
In the summer of 2005, Simon was acquired by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On the international stage, Simon is a two-time member of the United States World Junior Team (1997-1998).
