By Russ Cohen
I’ve been quietly tracking Matt Rempe’s career. Shortly before he was drafted in the 2020 NHL Draft. As a sixth-rounder the Rangers took a shot that this 6’7″ raw player and now they are getting some mileage out of him. At least three of his old Seattle Thunderbird eammates have extolled the virtue of this young forward.
“I try and watch out for my teammates. That’s a big part of it. If anybody touches my teammates, I’m going to go after them.”
Rempe is a decent straight-line skater. He has decent hands and he’s willing to go to the net. Those are the parts of his offensive game that have helped the Rangers. Having him. Adam Edstrom, also 6’7″ and Barclay Goodrow as a 21st-century 4th line have some promise. If nothing else, they can play important minutes down the stretch to keep their better players rested.
Rempe is fighting too much but it’s funny that the fighters that are left around the league all want a round against “the kid” who can throw down. It’s a challenge. They all have to punch up. It’s a measuring stick for those players and it has created some fan excitement.
“I’m just taking it day by day,” Rempe said about his current NHL employment.
Every player has to find a path to the NHL and Rempe may have found his.
