New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe has made waves since his debut this season, showcasing himself as a tough guy and someone who isn’t scared to back down from a fight. Unfortunately, Rempe got a little carried away in the Rangers’ recent game against the New Jersey Devils when he tossed a high hit on Devils’ defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler; Rempe was thrown out for elbowing.
The Department of Player Safety has chosen to suspend Rempe for four games. This is the first suspension of his NHL career, and the NHL is proving they are going to continue cracking down on hits to the head by punishing them accordingly.
Rempe’s Hot Start
Rempe is a 21-year-old right-shot forward from Calgary, Alberta, who stands 6-foot-8, 240 pounds. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers at 165th overall. He played his junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he had 59 points through 111 games over parts of three seasons, which comes out to a 0.53 points-per-game average.
In the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Rempe has scored 14 goals and added eight assists for 22 points through 96 games, which comes out to a 0.23 points-per-game average. In his first 10 games in the NHL, he has scored a goal and added an assist for two points, as well as racked up 54 penalty minutes with several fights and now, the ejection.
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Rempe will miss the next four games, where the Rangers battle the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders. He is eligible to return on Tuesday, March 19, when the Rangers take on the Winnipeg Jets.
