It was a little over five years ago that Sheldon Rempal made his debut with the Nanaimo Clippers. Thursday night he made his mark in the NHL.
The 23-year-old from Calgary had two shots on goal and 13 minutes of ice time as he took to the ice for the first time with the LA Kings. His new team lost 7-2 to the New York Islanders but Rempal was happy to realize his dream of playing in the National Hockey League.
He called the moment surreal playing in front of family and friends and getting some shifts with established pros Jeff Carter and Ilya Kovalchuk.
Rempal played 167 games with the Clippers from 2013-2016. He scored 213 points, culminating in a 59 goal and 110 point season in the 15-16 campaign. His 59 goals were the most in the BC Hockey League that season and he finished second in overall points.
When he left Nanaimo Rempal spent two seasons playing for the Clarkson Golden Knights of the ECAC in NCAA hockey. He recorded 34 goals and 35 assists in 78 games and then opted to turn pro at the end of last season rather than go back for his third and fourth years of university.
At the end of March Rempal signed a two-year entry level contract with the Kings. He started the season playing for the Kings AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Rempal led the Reign in scoring with four goals and four assists in his first four games before being recalled by the Kings earlier this week.
