James Guillory-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8e10551f-adc2-4e8a-840f-3c8844913ec9.jpeg] James Guillory-Imagn Images From a pure enforcer to a legitimate offensive presence, Matt Rempe took major strides this season that sort of went under the radar. Coming in during the 2023-24 season, Rempe made himself known to be a fighter and while that increased his popularity among NHL fans, he wanted to be more than just an enforcer. Rempe was determined to transform into an impactful forward who could be depended on at both ends of the ice. He spent a large part of the summer working on his skating, an aspect of his game that needed some significant improvements. Going into the 2024-25 campaign though, the 22-year-old was unable to carve out a major role and ultimately was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of The American Hockey League after being scratched out of the lineup for multiple games. Rempe didn’t view getting sent down as a demotion. He used his time in Hartford to build upon his skill sets in an expanded role and it was honestly the best thing that could have happened for him. “I think it was great,” Rempe said about his time in the AHL. “I think it was the best thing for me. Go down there for a month and a bit, play in all situations, and play a ton of minutes. “I think that’s what I needed because I did a ton of skills work in the summer, but it is different when you are doing that in a practice to when you go to a game. I think that’s what I needed, go for a month and a half and I think my game took off a lot.” Once Rempe was called back up to the Rangers, his confidence was higher than ever, but his progress was quickly derailed after delivering a hit on Miro Heiskanen, which resulted in an eight-game suspension. That was the turning point Rempe needed. He worked on broadening his skill sets with the Wolf Pack and this suspension helped him learn that he couldn’t be reckless with his hits going forward. After serving his suspension, he came out as a new and improved player, the best version of Rempe that we’ve ever seen. The young forward was confident with the puck on his stick, was physical but cautious, and was aggressive in terms of generating chances offensively. Rempe also became a more reliable defensive presence, taking critical steps in accomplishing his goal of being a strong two-way forward. Maybe Rempe is still far off before he transforms into the player he wants to eventually turn into, but his improvements should be noted and are impressive, to say the least. “I think I improved a lot, especially from last year,” Rempe said. “From the beginning of the season to the end, I think a lot of development happened. My game got a lot better. I still got a lot of work to do. I still want to work on all parts of my game. I made big strides from last year, so that was good.”
