Matt Rempe takes early lead in competition for Rangers' roster, but who can challenge him?

TARRYTOWN - Matt Rempe's rise to hockey fame began on Feb. 18, the day he made his memorable NHL debut on the six-year anniversary of his father's death. The next few months were a blur for the 2020 sixth-round pick, who went from minor-league obscurity to one of the NHL's buzziest names, with the wild ride continuing well into the offseason.

The Rangers' big, ferocious, exuberant rookie was all over the map this summer. It started with a 36-hour road trip from New York to Calgary, where he was welcomed back as a hometown celebrity, then headed north to Edmonton for fight lessons with one of hockey's all-time fiercest tough guys, Georges Laraque. But an invitation to train with veteran teammates was too tempting to pass up, which sent Rempe back east to spend the next couple months crashing at goalie Jonathan Quick's Connecticut home.

"I was their oldest child," Rempe beamed, referring to Quick's wife, Jaclyn, as "a second mom to me."

The 22-year-old fit right in, forming an especially playful bond with Quick's youngest son, 4-year-old Cash. Their friendship includes occasional wrestling matches − "He gave me a headbutt," Rempe announced proudly. "I was like, ‘Woah, that’s a good one' − and frequent trips to the brook behind the house for frog-catching.

"I'm not real good at catching frogs," Rempe quipped. "I just kind of scare them away, but it's a lot of fun."

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While there were lighter moments to unwind, the majority of his summer was spent training vigorously.

Last season's 17-game NHL taste, plus another 11 appearances in the playoffs, made Rempe even hungrier to keep his real-life dream alive.

"I've got a dog mindset," he said. "I'm going to go out there, take care of everything I can, and go showcase that, ‘Hey, I’ve improved a lot.' I'm going to be buzzing out there and earn everything."

"I don’t want to let anyone down," he added. "And that played a lot into the work that I put in."

That's been evident in the opening days of training camp. Rempe has practiced with pace and confidence while excelling in conditioning drills, grabbing head coach Peter Laviolette's attention in the process.

"He came in in excellent shape," Laviolette said Saturday. "He trained hard this summer off the ice. He trained hard on the ice. He tried to work on all aspects of his game to come back in and give himself the best chance. But there's no question, he's in very good shape."

In a camp that has very few position battles, Rempe is vying to lock up what's perceived as the only true lineup opening. Barring something unforeseen, all six defensemen and both goalies are already settled, as are at least 10 of the 12 regular forwards. The real number is probably 11, assuming that free-agent signing Sam Carrick will make the cut after receiving a three-year, $3 million deal, which leaves the 12th and final slot as the lone question mark.

Early signs are pointing in Rempe's favor. While other prospects hoping to breakthrough participated in rookie camp last week, he was skating in separate sessions with the established NHLers. And since main camp has opened, he's taken more fourth-line shifts than any of the players he's competing with.

Rempe was noticeable in Sunday's intrasquad scrimmage, as well, with a few quality offensive looks and defensive takeaways. And, of course, he was the most physical presence on the ice, using his 6-foot-8, 241-pound frame to assert himself in every battle.

"I want to prove to be an everyday player," he said. "That's my goal. Showcase that, ‘This guy's a very effective bottom-six player. He's going to play every night and can bring physical play every night, but also can be great defensively, chip in with some goals, provide a really hard line to play against, and also bring a lot of elements of toughness and grit.'"

While Rempe has emerged as the front-runner, Laviolette has stressed the door remains open for others to "jump out of your shoes, knock us in the head, and say, ‘I am here.'"

But who's in a realistic position to do that? Let's examine Rempe's top competition for the final forward spot(s) on the roster and where they stand with more than two weeks to go until the Oct. 9 regular-season opener in Pittsburgh.

Brett Berard

The 22-year-old has morphed himself into a legitimate option for the Rangers this season. He turned pro last year facing questions about whether a player at his size (he's listed at 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, although he said he weighed in closer to 180 last week) could withstand the pounding required to play the hustle style that makes him effective, but he passed his first test with flying colors. Berard led AHL Hartford with 25 goals while serving as a relentless puck-hunter in the Wolf Pack lineup.

Those traits have shown up in the early days of camp, as well. He was buzzing around during Sunday's scrimmage, including one shift in which he created a takeaway with a strong backcheck, then pushed a quick pass ahead to spring Rempe for a rush opportunity.

"He's a worker," Laviolette said. "He's a competitor. He competes in battles and he plays with a lot of juice. He did have a really good year offensively last year. (He) became somebody that they were counting on as the season wound down. … He’s going to have that opportunity to show what he can do. We’ll put him in the right situations to do that."

Odds are Berard will begin the season back with Hartford, but he could position himself for an in-season recall if his strong camp continues. Expect to see him in at least a couple upcoming preseason games.

Jonny Brodzinski

The 31-year-old is the safest bet on this list to make the roster, but it'll likely be as a 13th forward who sits most nights but can plug in at multiple positions if needed.

Brodzinski earned Laviolette's trust last season with a career-high 57 NHL games played, during which he posted 19 points (six goals and 13 assists) while filling in as third-line center for an extended stretch. That respect has been evident in the first few days of camp, with the coach giving him the first shift on the fourth line ahead of Carrick on a handful of occasions.

There's a reason the Rangers gave Brodzinski a two-year extension in February. They value his speed and versatility, and they're comfortable keeping him on the roster as a healthy scratch while younger prospects develop and play big minutes for Hartford.

Adam Edström

If anyone is going to challenge Rempe for a fourth-line role, Edström probably has the best shot.

It was the 23-year-old Swede who got the first call last season when the Rangers sought to infuse their bottom six with size and snarl, and they mostly liked what they saw in his 11-game sample. Rempe eventually burst on the scene and brought an undeniable energy, squeezing Edström out of the lineup in the process, but the 6-foot-7, 234-pounder may be more advanced defensively.

"They're a little bit different players," Laviolette said. "When they're next to each other, the size is the first thing that you notice. They're both really, really big individuals, so that's the first thing that you compare. They both can skate. They both can play a physical game. Their physical game, it's a little bit different. But the next step for both of those players would be, now that the rookie games are over and last season's over, you get a summer training, come into training camp, you get into games and get opportunities to show what you do to actually make an impact."

Edström certainly made an impact with three goals in the two rookie games against the Flyers last week, earning unsolicited praise from Laviolette. He's another guy who looks to be in excellent shape and carrying himself like he belongs. But how much would he have to do to surpass Rempe on the depth chart? Based on the numbers game, that may be his only path to the roster.

Adam Erne

The only forward the Rangers brought in on a PTO (professional tryout contract) is the 29-year-old who plays with an edge and has 379 games of NHL experience, mostly with Detroit.

Erne is a physical force who can play either wing and began last season with the Oilers, but he couldn't maintain an NHL spot and finished the year in the AHL. He could factor into the 13th forward conversation, but it's hard to see him beating out Brodzinski, who has the advantage of playing center and being established in New York.

Perhaps Erne ends up with Hartford for depth purposes and gets a call if injury strikes and/or the fourth line needs some toughening up. Anything more than that would register as a surprise.

Brennan Othmann

The highest-ranked prospect in camp is getting very close, but his path isn't as clear as it is for others. That's because, unlike Edström and Rempe, it's unlikely the Rangers would summon Othmann for anything other than a top-nine opportunity.

The 21-year-old netted 49 points (21 goals and 28 assists) in 67 games for Hartford, with a quick release and offensive game that should be utilized in a scoring role. He likes to play physical, which he showed with a crunching hit on Boston's Parker Wotherspoon in Sunday's preseason opener that led to a fight later in the game, but he's not the type of grinding, defensive presence who profiles as a fourth-liner. Putting him in position to succeed will require reasonably skilled linemates.

If Othmann heeds Laviolette's call and knocks the coaching staff on the head, they could theoretically make room for him. The simplest solution would involve moving Will Cuylle to the fourth line, where his bruising skill set would work quite well, and in turn opening the third-line LW spot next to Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. But pushing Cuylle down would almost surely come at Rempe's expense, unless the Rangers make a surprising decision to bump veteran Jimmy Vesey from the lineup.

Laviolette and Co. seem to be leaning in the other direction, but we'll see if anything happens in the next few weeks to change that equation.

"He's in the same conversation (with Berard)," Laviolette said of Othmann. "He had a good year last year, put up some points. He comes into camp this year, and he’ll get an opportunity to make noise."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Assessing Matt Rempe and the competition for Rangers' roster spots