Who Is Casper van der Veen? Meet the Dutch Captain Dominating the Junior Hockey World Cup 2025
It is quite hard not to spot Casper van der Veen on the hockey field. His towering six-foot-plus frame and broad shoulders loom between the opponent’s defence.
The image was even more jarring when the Netherlands took on Malaysia in the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup 2025 in Madurai. The diminutive Malaysian defenders could barely reach his torso as they tried to mark him, eliciting a smile even from the nearby umpire.
Van der Veen is a colossus not just in stature but also in what he has achieved in his burgeoning hockey career so far. Before turning 21, van der Veen already had a gold and a silver medal from the EuroHockey Junior Championship. Add to that four caps for the senior team in the 2024-25 FIH Pro League, including a goal against Belgium in a 3-3 draw.
He also holds the distinction of being one of the very few players to have participated in three editions of the Junior World Cup.
“It feels really good [to play three World Cups]. It’s an honour to represent the country as a captain,” the attacker told Sportstar.
The Dutch travelling party had its heart in it mouth when its star player copped a blow to the knee from a fierce shot by Finn van Bijnen, forcing him to be subbed off in the first game against England. He returned in the next quarter to put his team back ahead in the tie.
“It’s not feeling that good, but we have good physios,” the captain said after the game. Sure enough, the physios worked their magic, and van der Veen was back leading the side in the following contest against Malaysia. His double strike in the first quarter set Jong Oranje on its way to a 6-0 win. The second goal, a powerful reverse hit from an acute angle, had the youngsters in the Madurai crowd on their feet.
“When he has the ball, you know he’s not going to lose it. He’s always an option to play the ball to because he knows what to do in certain situations,” said teammate Joppe Wolbert.
“He brings a lot of experience, which we can build on. It is difficult to interact because he’s high up the pitch, but he speaks to us during the intervals and shows a lot of trust in us,” he added.
Against Austria in the third Pool game, van der Veen saw limited minutes in the first half. But you cannot keep a player of his calibre dormant for too long. The skipper scored a hat-trick in the fourth quarter alone to send his side into the quarterfinals with a morale-boosting 11-0 win.
“He is so strong. We use him a lot when we are under pressure,” head coach Jesse Mahieu said. “His experience with Bloemendaal (a professional club in the Hoofdklasse) and also a couple of camps with the national team; he’s constantly coaching these guys, and for us, it is a big effort he brings,” he added.
The skipper says he enjoys being the team’s leading man. “It is good to show the young guys that I am there for them. They can ask [me] anything they want. They can come to me when they’re feeling a bit down about something,” he said.
After back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the Junior World Cup, the Dutch side will hope that this time its talisman can spur the team towards the semifinal and beyond.
Published on Dec 03, 2025