New York Rangers enforcer shocks many with unexpected breakout performance in the AHL

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Joshua Deeds
November 19, 2024 (7:25)

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Matt Rempe's name has become synonymous with the New York Rangers and with the NHL as a "goon", "fighter", or "enforcer". Usually, the name has negative connotations depending on your view of fighting in hockey.

But Matt Rempe has worked on himself, and his game this off-season to give himself another shot in the lineup.

Peter Laviolette sent him back to the AHL to get some more seasoning and develop there. Since then, he's played as a winger and has shown some growth.

It's why they sent him down to the AHL where he plays in all situations and receives more ice time compared to the fourth-line role at the NHL level. He is out to prove that he can do more than just drop the gloves and the recent game against the Providence Bruins showed he can do that.

Rempe's scored two points lately and has found his home in a special teams role. On the penalty kill, he and the Hartford Wolfpack's PK looked great, killing four penalties and keeping the Pack in the game, until the last period.

Mike Fink of THW:

Rempe looked particularly great on the kill. He not only played the shooting lanes and blocked shots but he also created turnovers and moved the puck out of the zone. As a power forward, he isn't going to make a turnover a rush opportunity the other way but he can move the puck into the offensive zone and maintain possession to allow the clock to wind. He did that multiple times with the Wolf Pack shorthanded.

Rempe's not a fourth-liner in the AHL but has found his role as a middle-six forechecking & defensive forward. He's been able to utilize his physicality in a way that keeps the Pack running against a man-advantage.

He's also been utilized on the Power-Play in Hartford, but with little to no success as his finishing skills need work.

Rempe plays a bumper role but is slow to the puck and can't finish scoring chances. He's a power forward without the power near the net to get the puck into the goal and it's something he must work on to boost his chances of returning to the NHL.

All the while, since he's developed his skills in new and his backchecking skills haven't been neglected either. He's a prototypical two-way forward who can create pressure with hits, and his ability to create turnovers in the neutral and defensive zone.

Defense and hard hits come naturally to Rempe and it makes him a viable fourth-line skater. On top of that, he's worked on the small things to become a great defense-first forward. Ideally, Rempe will step up at both ends of the ice but for now, he's a great forward that helps out the defense, and it's why the Wolf Pack won back-to-back games where they allowed only two goals in each game.

While he's not much of an offensive forward, and will never likely amount to the same kind of skills that someone like Artemi Panarin.

In order for him to move past those shortcomings he'll have to find a way to stay consistent in the AHL, put all his pieces together, and develop a great passing ability if he's not capable of being a regular goal-scorer.

Rempe is the wild card and one that will be used in all situations to help the team and his development.