The most popular player at the American Hockey League (AHL) level, at least for casual hockey fans, is Matt Rempe. He made a name for himself by dropping the gloves and fighting anyone willing to take him on for both the Hartford Wolf Pack and the New York Rangers. It produced some memorable fights including one in his first NHL shift in the 2024 Stadium Series against Matt Martin.
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As exciting as the fights are, the Rangers hope that Rempe becomes more than just a fighter. 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 Special Teams Improvement
The Wolf Pack took five penalties in their Nov. 16 game against the Bruins. It’s a backhanded compliment to say the penalty kill looked good because it means the team had to take a lot of penalties for it to look that way but they killed four consecutive penalties to keep the game tied at one until the third period.
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.
Any fourth-line skater needs to be a great penalty killer. Rempe isn’t a fourth-liner on the Wolf Pack as he plays on a middle six forechecking line but inevitably, that will be his role with the Rangers. It’s why he’s found more ice time on the penalty kill and stepped up in those situations as well.
The power play is still a weak point for him, and the Wolf Pack as well. The team hasn’t scored in the last 36 opportunities which sounds crazy but this is the AHL (where crazy stats are the norm). Rempe plays a bumper role but is slow to the puck and can’t finish scoring chances. He’s a power forward…
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