Matt Rempe has begun to take things to a whole level we didn’t even know was possible.
When Rempe played his first games for the New York Rangers during the 2023-24 season he came in with a bang as his constant fighting cultivated Blueshirt fans.
However, Rempe’s overall game aside from the physical presence he brought was nothing to be impressed about.
He lacked any sort of offensive explosiveness while he was a liability at times defensively, which made it hard for Peter Laviolette to trust him.
He played 17 games last season averaging just 5:38 minutes and in the playoffs, he was scratched on multiple occasions.
To start the 2024-25 campaign, he was once again held out of the lineup for the majority of games before being sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
If you have to pinpoint a specific time when Rempe’s transformation truly sparked, it was with the Wolf Pack.
He went from barely touching the ice to being put in all sorts of situations that allowed him to grow as a player.
“Got to go play 17/18/19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations,” Rempe said about his time in Hartford. “It was good for me... Hadn't played a lot of minutes in a long while so it was good for me to get all those game situations, feel the puck, play not just the physical side and play in a top-six role.”
In December, a rejuvenated Rempe got a chance to prove himself with the Rangers, but unfortunately, he made a costly mistake.
On Dec. 20, the 22-year-old hit Miro Heiskanen with his elbow directed at the head of Heiskanen.
Rempe was given an eight-game suspension for his controversial hit on Heiskanen. Upon returning from this suspension, Rempe was a changed man.
The young enforcer fessed up to his mistake and realized that he had to change the way he played.
“I gotta still play my game, but it can’t happen again or else it’s going to be a huge suspension,” Rempe said. “I gotta be a lot smarter, I don’t have to make every hit if that makes sense. I gotta be able to pick my hits… I gotta be a bit more controlled.”
“If there is any way in doubt, I should veer on the side of caution for now. I’m a marked man right now, so I gotta keep it clean.”
From the moment Rempe proclaimed he was a “marked man”, his game completely changed for the better.
This is when the second part of his transformation took place.
While keeping that same physical intensity, Rempe has recently been a lot smarter in terms of making sure not to commit any reckless penalties.
This strategy has proven to be effective; he's still striking fear into opponents by using his size to wreak havoc, but being tactical about it, which has allowed him to earn the trust of Laviolette.
Not only has Laviolette taken notice of Rempe’s improvements, but he continues to be impressed with how hard he works on a daily basis.
The popular enforcer attends almost every optional skate and works constantly to perfect his craft.
“You see it's an optional today and he’s on the ice, working on things that can help his game,” Laviolette said in January. “He’s putting in the time. He did this summer and he has every day since he’s been here. He’s been in the lineup and has been a positive influence for our team.”
From an offensive standpoint, Rempe’s game is night and day. It’s shocking to see, but Rempe has been unusually comfortable puck handling through the past few weeks and he’s creating scoring chances with his newfound stick-handling skills nobody knew were in his arsenal.
Defensively, Rempe seems to be aware of his positioning and is becoming more and more reliable.
“I don’t really see a difference in his physical game, I think his physical game has been good,” Laviolette said. “He constantly looks for hits. His game has been good. There’s been a lot of games where he’s had the puck on his stick and he’s made good plays.
“He’s looking to create, he’s looking to generate offense and I think that’s really good. Defensively, he continues to be pretty strong. I think he’s done a good job. His confidence seems to be good.”
Rempe’s minutes have also skyrocketed. The skating giant has played over ten minutes in four out of the last eight games.
Meanwhile, Laviolette is throwing Rempe onto the ice in critical situations with the score still close, something we haven't seen a whole lot of through his short career thus far.
Rempe is averaging 8:00 minutes this season, a 2:22-minute increase from the previous year.
“I think all parts of my game,” Rempe said on where he’s improved his game. “I think I’ve played great hockey. I’m getting better and better every week, earning more minutes. It’s been going well. I have a long way to go, but I just have to keep building.”
Rempe is right, there’s still a long way to go before we see him tap into his ultimate potential.
The strides we have seen Rempe make over a year are simply incredible and if he stays on this path, he’ll be a dangerous player down the road.
