by Matt Rempe made plenty of headlines during his rookie season with the New York Rangers when the tall forward dropped the gloves against several of the NHL’s proven enforcers.
The 6’7″ center collected 71 penalty minutes in 17 games in his NHL regular season debut. He scored one goal and one assist in those games, and later added another goal in 11 games in the postseason.
As training camp approaches, Rempe is not yet guaranteed a spot on the Rangers’ opening roster for this season, but he plans to do everything he can to secure one.
“I get so much attention and I feel like I have to earn it,” Rempe told NHL.com. “I came on the scene, I did well, but there’s so much room for improvement. I don’t want to disappoint anyone. That scares me the hell out of me. That drives me every day to do my best and ask myself how much better I got today.”
The 22-year-old Calgary native was selected by New York in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He joined the AHL professional league with the Hartford Wolfpack in 2022 and collected 183 penalty minutes in 96 games over two seasons before being called up.
Rempe scored eight goals and 12 points in 43 games with the Wolfpack last season, improving on his six goals and 10 points in 53 games the year before. He’s focused on rounding out his game to maintain a role with the Rangers this season, rather than just being an enforcer.
“I’m just trying to get better,” Rempe said. “I think I can be a very effective bottom-six player who is quick, competitive, physical, skates well, protects pucks, goes to the net, is good around the net and can play center or wing.”
“I want to be a good penalty killer. I feel like one day I can be a guy on a defensive line that’s hard to play against and also create a little bit of offensive power around the net and put the puck in the net.
“I still have a long way to go, but that’s all I’m working towards.”
The Rangers will begin their preseason preparation on September 22 against the Boston Bruins, with the season opening game scheduled for October 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
