Aki Käppeler

Aki Käppeler
Personal information
Full name Hans Aki Käppeler
Born (1994-07-10) 10 July 1994
Stuttgart, Germany
Playing position Defence
Senior career
Years Team
Stuttgarter Kickers 2004–2013
Mannheimer 2013–2016
TSV Mannheim 2016–2020
Klein Zwitserland 2020–
National team
Years Team Caps Goals
2012– United States 97 (50)
2021– United States Indoor 17 (23)
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Lima Team
Pan American Cup
Silver medal – second place 2025 Montevideo
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Lancaster
Men's indoor hockey
Indoor Pan American Cup
Silver medal – second place 2021 Spring City

Hans Aki Käppeler (born 10 July 1994)[1] is a German–American international indoor and field hockey player.[2][3][4]

Personal life

Käppeler was born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany.[3]

His biological grandparents are Tadaaki Kuwayama and Rakuko Naito, both Japanese artists who resided in New York City. Being residents of the United States, his grandparents gave rise to his American heritage, allowing him to obtain dual citizenship.[5]

He followed in his parents' footsteps, pursuing a career in architecture, the profession of both his mother and father.[6][7]

His brother Kei also plays international field hockey for the United States.[2]

Field hockey

Domestic leagues

Käppeler currently competes in the Tulp Hoofdklasse, the top level domestic competition of the Netherlands. He has been a member of the Klein Zwitserland Men's First team since 2020.[8][9]

Under–21

From 2012 to 2013, Käppeler was a member of the United States U–21 side. He made his first appearances for the team at the 2012 Pan American Junior Championship in Guadalajara, where the team finished fourth.[10] He followed this up with an appearance at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney.[11]

Senior national team

Prior to making his junior international debut in 2012, Käppeler received his first call-up to the United States national squad earlier that year. He earned his first senior international cap during a match against Guatemala in Chula Vista, during Round 1 of the 2012–13 FIH World League.[2][11]

Throughout his senior career, Käppeler has only medalled with the national squad on two occasions, winning bronze both times.[11] His first medal came at the 2017 Pan American Cup in Lancaster, and the second at the XVIII Pan American Games in Lima.[12][13]

As of 2025, Käppeler is still an active member of the senior national team. He was most recently named in the squad for the 2025 Pan American Cup in Montevideo.[14]

Major International Tournaments
The following is a list of major international tournaments Käppeler has competed in throughout his career.[11]

Indoor hockey

In addition to field hockey, Käppeler also represented the United States in indoor hockey. He made his first appearances for the United States Indoor team in 2021 at the Indoor Pan American Cup in Spring City, where he won a silver medal. Since his debut, he has also represented the side at the 2023 FIH Indoor World Cup in Pretoria and the 2023 Nkosi Cup in Cape Town.[11][15]

References

  1. ^ "Team Details – United States". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Aki Kaeppeler". usafieldhockey.com. USA Field Hockey. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Aki Kaeppeler – Player Info". globalsportsarchive.com. Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Aki Käppeler unterschreibt bei TK Sports". tk-sports.eu. TK Sports. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Tadaaki Kuwayama, 91, Dies; Painter Who Carved His Own Spare Path". nytimes.com. The New York Times. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Building a Community". vassar.edu. Vassar College. 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ^ "European influences in the USA squad". fih.ch. International Hockey Federation. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Heren 1". kleinzwitserlandheren1.nl (in Dutch). HC Klein Zwitserland. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Klein Zwitserland Heren 1 – spelers en staf 2024-2025". hockey.nl (in Dutch). Hockey Netherlands. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Junior Pan American Championships". panamhockey.org. Pan American Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e "KAEPPELER Aki". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Pan American Cups". panamhockey.org. Pan American Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  13. ^ "AKI KAEPPELER". teamusa.com. Team USA. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Law Establishes 2025 Pan American Cup Roster". usafieldhockey.com. USA Field Hockey. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Indoor Pan American Cups". panamhockey.org. Pan American Hockey Federation. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.