Matt Rempe Training With Former NHL Enforcer Gets Fans Hyped About Next Season

Matt Rempe turned many heads when he was promoted from the Hartford Wolfpack to the New York Rangers last season. The Rangers forward may not have been the most prolific scorer on the ice, but his impact as an enforcer was undeniable. He made his presence known when he arrived in the NHL, becoming a key figure in the team's dynamics and energizing the crowd when he took the ice.

Rempe's first game at the professional level was the Stadium Series against the crosstown rival New York Islanders. It didn't take long for the rookie to become the team's enforcer when he would drop the gloves with Matt Martin in the first period. During the first few weeks with the Rangers, the fourth-line center would drop the gloves and energize the crowd almost every night. He became a cult hero among Rangers fans and quickly became a villain to opposing players and their fans, including the New Jersey Devils, after an illegal hit to the head of Nathan Bastian.

While enforcers are not as common as they used to be in the NHL, Rempe provided a spark for the Rangers and New York fans in the second half of the 2023-24 season. Now, the 22-year-old looks to continue bringing his physicality and aggressiveness to Madison Square Garden every night and has even been training this offseason for the 2024-25 season.

The 6-foot-8 forward returned home to Calgary for the first time since becoming an NHL player and has made it a priority to work on playing the center and wing positions and improving defensively. Rempe has also stated he would like to work on fighting, and there's no better person to learn from than an NHL veteran of 13 years with 1,126 penalty minutes to his name.

A clip on X went viral of Rempe practicing uppercuts with Georges Laraque. This had many Rangers fans and hockey fans, in general, talking about Rempe and what he can bring to the table as a player and fighter next season. I think it's safe to say Rempe made Laraque look small while working on his fighting, but working with the veteran should benefit the Rangers center in the future.

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