NY Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe voices clear message to Mike Sullivan, rest of the NHL on unapologetic style of play

Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers know they have a Tasmanian devil in Matt Rempe. He wreaks havoc every time he is on the ice, and whenever he is on the lineup, the rest of the NHL trembles and gears up in advance. Any team facing off against him knows they will be in for a long night.

Rempe is impossible to miss in any Rangers game. First and foremost, the 23-year-old forward stands 6’9″ and weighs 255 pounds. Simply put, Rempe is a wagon—and one that isn’t afraid to throw his body around in every corner of the rink. Whether at Madison Square Garden or on the road, he brings his unapologetic, rowdy edge to the ice. He’ll run through a brick wall if he has to, and he won’t show an ounce of remorse.

However, since earning a steady role on the team, Rempe has been working to add more layers to his game. In today’s NHL, pure-bred enforcers are a thing of the past—if a player’s only calling card is dropping the gloves, teams will move on in the blink of an eye. Rempe knows that, and he’s been committed to improving his overall game. So far, the progress is clear, and he’s not shy about expressing his pride in the journey.

“When I got to the NHL-level, my game wasn’t—in some aspects—ready to play full minutes and stuff. I did what I can to stick around,” Rempe admitted to reporters, via @SNYRangers on X (formerly Twitter). “Now I take a lot of pride in doing all that, but showing that my game has come a long way.”

Mike Sullivan answers questions during an interview

Survival of the fittest

For Rempe, his size always gave him an advantage through the early stages of his playing career. However, it could only take him so far. Rempe was selected with a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL entry Draft by the Rangers (same year New York drafted Alexis Lafreniere first overall, Braden Schneider 19th overall, and Will Cuylle 60th).

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Making the league was always going to be a steep climb for the Alberta-native. Thus, as he started his journey in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the young prospect knew he was only getting one chance to make a first impression.

“In junior [hockey], I was never a fighter. I did what I had to do to carve my path,” Rempe commented. “In Hartford, my first year I didn’t play much and I carved that out doing the fights, trying to make me kind of stick. That became a big part of my game.“

Proving it

Rempe was honest in his statement, and his numbers so far in the 2025-26 NHL season reflect he truly wants to have a bigger impact on Sullivan’s Rangers. Perhaps, it has something to do with what the new coach asks from him, as to what former bench boss Peter Laviolette expected out of Rempe.

Matt Rempe at Madison Square Garden on April 15, 2024 in New York City.

Either way, Rempe has registered just two penalty minutes eight games into the campaign. For reference, he racked up 71 PIMs in just 17 games during his rookie year in 2023-24—an average of 4.2 per game. In 2024-25, Rempe cut that number significantly, posting 67 PIMs over 42 games for a 1.6-per-game average. That was a notable decline, but nothing compared to his current pace.

Through this early stretch, he’s averaging just 0.25 penalty minutes per night. By staying out of the sin bin, Rempe earns more—and better—opportunities on the ice, giving him a chance to showcase his true hockey skill set in The Big Apple. Just like that, breaking free from his fourth-line enforcer label might actually be within reach.