The New York Rangers and their fans enjoyed Rempemania thanks to the sudden rise of rookie Matt Rempe the debutant has been relatively quiet since the Rangers season ended in early June.
A new viral video (h/t @BR_OpenIce) emerged on July 7 showing Rempe for the first time since the start of the offseason training with some fans in Alberta, Canada. It turns out Rempe is enjoying his time off by teaching folks how to fight on skates.
Matt Rempe was back in Alberta teaching a boxing club how to fight on ice 😂🥊
(via @hockeymarathon) pic.twitter.com/gOFQ4Ip37X— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 7, 2024
The clip, shared by Bleacher Report on X (formerly known as Twitter) shows Rempe working with members of an Alberta boxing club and teaching them ice hockey fighting techniques.
It’s worth noting how the training sessions seem to focus more on technique rather than actual fighting, offering some insights into the physical demands of fighting on skates and the skills and abilities it entails.
No wonder, this was just a fun activity held by Rempe as he tries to enjoy his summer while engaging with the local community and taking advantage to stay active and train a bit after completing his first season in the NHL.
Rempe’s Rookie Season & Offseason Plans
Rempe debuted during the 2024 NHL Stadium Series matchup against the New York Islanders. He didn’t even let the puck drop to let everybody know what he was about.
Rempe dropped the gloves for the first time on February 18 to fight veteran Matt Martin in front of 70,000 fans at MetLife Stadium and his legend only grew from that moment on.
The rookie finished the campaign logging 17 regular-season appearances scoring 1 goal and assisting another. The rookie also featured in 11 postseason matchups, scoring the playoffs-opening goal for the Rangers.
MATT REMPE SCORES! #NYR pic.twitter.com/yQNGCm6SMU
— Talkin’ Rangers (@talkin_rangers) April 21, 2024
Speaking to reporters at the end-of-season media availability, Rempe told media members about his offseason plans looking forward to returning to the team for his sophomore season.
“I have a big plan. I’ll outwork anyone, I got a big plan. I’m going to work on every single part of my game. I want to bring more to the table. I want to be a guy that can play 8–12 minutes every single night, in a role,” Rempe said on June 4.
Matt Rempe was asked about his plans for the summer:
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) June 4, 2024
"First off, I gotta get rid of my eye infection. I look like an idiot. Sorry about that" 😂 pic.twitter.com/EQHSQqAMxT
Rempe emphasized his desire to enhance his defensive chops and become a penalty killer while honing his full skill set.
“I want to be real good defensively. Eventually, I want to be a penalty-killer, but I gotta earn all these things. I want to work on my skating, work on my skill set, making plays with the puck, passing, every part of my game. Also, I want to work on the fighting—I want to be a guy, I really enjoy that part of the game. I want to continue to work on that and then get stronger, growing into my body, more mobility, everything. I got a lot of work to do,” Rempe said, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post.
Rangers Draft Huge Prospect Nathan Aspinall
The New York Rangers added another big-bodied prospect through the 2024 NHL draft by picking Nathan Aspinall in the fifth round.
Aspinall, a 6-foot-6 forward, joins Rempe (6-foot-8, class of 2020) and Adam Edstrom (6-foot-6, class of 2019) in the depth chart although he’s not expected to debut any time soon.
“Size is certainly helpful. There’s plenty of excellent small players out there, but size is definitely a benefit, especially when you look at the playoffs and harder games,” Lilley said.
Aspinall, an 18-year-old from Markham, Ontario, scored 34 points in 65 games with Flint of the OHL last season. Although already a big kid, he will bulk up during his time in the minors as he gears up for his NHL debut as he’s still just a low-end 185 pounds.
“Those guys have done a great job, they were drafted — same thing — later, middle-late round type of guys with potential,” Lilley said. “Credit to those players, they’ve put the time and work in to make themselves a big part of our organization, and now these players we’ve drafted [recently] have the same opportunity.
“Like I say every development camp, it’s up to them. Everything from now moving forward, the ball is in their court as to what work they put in.”
The Rangers selected defenseman EJ Emery out of the University of North Dakota with the No. 30 pick overall in the 2024 draft, their lone first-round selection.
