On Jan. 9th, Matt Rempe returned to the Madison Square Garden ice to an eruption of cheers in the eventual 3-2 overtime win versus New Jersey.
His momentum continued in helping the Rangers acquire their first winning streak since November. In the heart of the Las Vegas strip on Saturday night, Rempe tallied an assist on the game-winning goal. Seven minutes into the third period, a strong play from Rempe moved the puck ahead to Jonny Brodinzski resulted in a great rush chance for the fourth line. As Brodiznski threw the puck to the net, Edström was able to get a stick on it which redirected the puck to the back of the net, giving the Rangers what would become the final score of 2-1.
After heading to the locker room from a blocked shot earlier in the game, Adam Edstrom comes back out hungry and takes the lead for the Rangers 🫡 pic.twitter.com/492tpw63Pd
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 12, 2025
“I know Remps got it on the wall," Edström said of the play postgame. "[It was a] great outlet pass to Jonny there and we kind of talked about crashing the net so I was just trying to get in there. Got a tip on the puck and it went in.”
This was his first NHL point earned of the 2024-25 season, with him only having played seven games on the year. For his career so far, Rempe has tallied three points off of one goal and two assists (plus-two).
Flashing back to his history with the league, Rempe wasn’t drafted by a Western Hockey League junior team, but instead got an invitation to the Seattle Thunderbirds spring camp and signed with the organization. He made his major junior debut in 2019. The Alberta, Canada native was drafted by the Rangers in 2020 (sixth round, pick No. 165) after winning 44 of 68 games in 2021-22 — making it to the WHL Finals with the Thunderbirds.
Rempe also comes from a hockey family. Rempe older sisters, Alley and Steph, both played hockey for the Ivy League's Brown University. The youngest of the three holds a very close relationship with his mother and sisters. According to the New York Times this has been especially true after the tragic passing of his father — Ron — when Rempe was just 15 years old.
After signing his NHL contract, Rempe has also seen success playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack. This year with the AHL, he has tallied three goals and two assists across 18 games played so far. As for his overall AHL career so far, he has 27 points off of 17 goals and 10 assists across 114 games.
Rempe was the first player in league history to make his debut outdoors. The Rangers had him play in their Stadium Series game against the fellow-city foe the Islanders on Feb 18, 2024. For Rempe, his league debut was extra special. It was six-years to the day Ron passed while shoveling snow at the Rempe family home in Calgary. This obviously gave the family-oriented player extra motivation. He scored his first NHL goal just six days later in Philadelphia and finished with two points (one goal, one assist) in 17 games.
However, recently Blueshirt fans have recently seen more of a jump in Rempe's TOI with the Rangers. He also moved in with Rangers' netminder Jonathan Quick and his family this past summer. Rempe regularly tussles with Quick's son, Cash, who also dressed up as Rempe for Halloween.
He quickly garnered a reputation as an enforcer, dropping gloves against league heavyweights Ryan Reaves and Kurtis MacDermid among others. Unfortunately, the 6'9", 255 pound player recently elbowed and boarded Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen during New York’s 3-1 win in December. He was given a game misconduct for the play. The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Rempe for eight games as a result.
After serving his suspension, he finally returned to the ice in the previously mentioned win over New Jersey. This was immediately followed with his assist in Las Vegas.
Rempe previously said he will be making a valiant effort to play smarter after his recent eight-game suspension was lifted.
"I've got to still play my game but also, that can't happen again. If it does it's going to be a a huge suspension so I've got to be a lot smarter. I don't have to make every hit, if that makes sense," Rempe said. "I'm so big and I can get going so I've got to be able to pick my hits and know its going to be a good hit. I can make an impact with that ... “I’ve got to be smarter. Bring that energy, but more controlled. Be smarter."
He has clearly proven this to be true; Rempe has been striking back in the best possible ways since serving his suspension from the league. And head coach Peter Laviolette has said he's liked what he's seen from the Canadian.
"I thought he [has] had a big impact in the game. He’s doing his best to hit bodies and make a difference in the game. Our guys [have] really rallied around that."Peter Laviolette
At 22-years-old, Rempe brings a lot of youth and energy to the locker room. Quickly becoming a fan-favorite, it's clear the enforcer and forward has a lot of fun on the ice. The Rangers are 4-1-1 in 2025. Two of those wins have come from the only two games Rempe has been allowed to play in — meaning every game he has played in, in the past year has resulted in a win.
With the spirit and cheer Rempe brings to the team dynamic (especially with goaltender Igor Shesterkin) and the fans, why not continue his development and letting him see more action on ice?