For a brief period of time, New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was one of the biggest stars in the league last season.
The 22-year-old appeared in 28 games (17 regular season, 11 postseason) and had just three points (two goals, one assists). His appeal came not from his scoring, but rather the fact that he accrued 81 penalty minutes, with most of those coming from fights. At 6-7 and 241 pounds, he became one of the premier enforcers in the league seemingly overnight.
Heading into next season, though, Rempe knows he still has a lot to prove, both to himself and the team. As it stands right now, he's not even sure if he has a roster spot heading into the season.
New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
"I'm getting all this attention and I feel like I have to earn it," Rempe said, per NHL.com. "I've gotten on the scene, I've done well, but there's so much room for growth. I don't want to let anyone down. I'm terrified of that. That pushes me every single day to try to do the max that I can and ask how much better did I get today?"
That attitude has endeared him to his teammates and coaches, as if his toughness didn't already do so.
"His evaluation is probably honest and fair that he's got to continue to work at all aspects of his game, as a lot of young players do," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "He was a guy that came up and he made so much noise. You say, what is it that he has to do [to make the opening night roster]? Well, there's a lot of things."
This offseason, Rempe has been hard at work looking to improve himself. He worked on fighting techniques with former NHL forward Georges Laraque, and is working on his skating with Rangers teammate Chris Kreider, a player he tries to model his game after.
"Incredibly driven, incredibly focused and wants to get better every single day," Kreider said of Rempe. "He's super disciplined and has incredible willpower, and he's a sponge. He's just going to keep on getting better, which is scary for every other team."
All in all, Rempe wants to be seen as a well-rounded NHL player, not just someone who throws big hits and fights.
"I feel like I can be a very effective bottom-six player who is fast, mean, physical, skates well, protects pucks, goes to the net, is good around the net, can play center or wing," Rempe said. "I want to be a good penalty killer. I feel like I can be a guy one day on a shutdown line that can be very hard to play against and also create some offense around the net, bring pucks to the net. I've got a long way to go but that's all I'm working toward."
