Matt Rempe, a forward for the New York Rangers, quickly made an impact in the NHL upon rejoining the team. In a game against the Dallas Stars on Friday night, he delivered a hit from behind to Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, resulting in a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.
Stars forward Roope Hintz didn’t take kindly to this incident and charged at Rempe in defense of Heiskanen. As officials separated them, a helmetless Rempe skated away, mockingly holding his hand up to his ear to taunt the Stars fans.
Before his call-up, Rempe had recorded five points in 18 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate. The 22-year-old had 1 goal and 1 assist in 17 regular season games last year, accruing 71 penalty minutes, and in the playoffs, he had 1 goal with 10 penalty minutes in 11 games, as the Rangers were eliminated in the third round by the Florida Panthers. He also played 43 games with the Wolf Pack, scoring 8 goals and adding 4 assists while accumulating 96 penalty minutes.
Rempe was selected in the 6th round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Rangers after playing in the WHL. Following two seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he made his professional debut with the Wolf Pack in 2022 and has split time there before stepping up to the NHL this year.
Currently, Rempe is in the final year of his three-year entry-level contract with an $820,000 cap hit and is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
