22-Year-Old Centre Demoted To AHL
The New York Rangers sent Matt Rempe down to the Hartford Wolf Pack following Thursday Night's loss against the Florida Panthers. The game ended in a 3-1 loss, the Rangers' second loss so far this season. After that, all decisions were made final. Rempe was not showing them he was worth keeping a roster spot. The Rangers managers believe it is in their best interest for the 22-year-old to be demoted for now.
So far this season, he has played in only seven games and not registered any points or penalty minutes. He had seven shifts and 3:40 minutes of ice time during the October 12th game against the Utah Hockey Club and then 11 shifts and 7:37 minutes during the October 19th game when New York took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. He hasn’t had much going for him this season.
Many fans became fans of Rempe last season when he played in 17 games. What rose him to fame was the chaotic fights he started during the games, which caught the league's attention. The top two are that he started a fight during his debut in the Stadium Series with Islanders Matt Martin and then again with New Jersey Devils star Jonas Siegenthaler. After the second fight, he was suspended for four games by the league's NHL Department of Player Safety, but all of his punishing hits resulted in 71 minutes of penalty time.
However, he is a great player, and many people enjoyed seeing him appear on the ice. They liked how he played and how energetic he was. He helped with one goal and one assist, and many fans loved it. He also went to the playoffs with the Rangers last season and appeared in at least 11 games. Rempe enjoyed it and spent his summer working on himself and learning to be a better player. He did the best that he could and had help when running drills. He also took time to practice his fighting skills. He was looking forward to playing this season again with the Rangers. He took it in stride when he was pushed back to the AHL again. He spent most of last season playing on the lower team, too.
As much as the Rangers wanted to keep him, they felt it would be better for now to let him progress in the AHL. They have been impressed with how he has handled everything, even with his lack of playing time this season. Despite that, the Rangers have been among one of the best teams to hit the ice this season. So far, they are carrying a 5-1-1 status despite losing to the Stanley Cup champions, Florida Panthers, on Thursday night.
