The Hall of Fame recognizes athletes and coaches who have excelled during their time with the Nighthawks and afterwards.

Click on the person’s icon to jump to their section

Liam Manning

Liam has taken many roles in the field hockey community, athlete, coach, umpire, and program coordinator

11703477_714325878695727_169508938117517787_o

Liam Manning and Owen Goddard at Nepean's Annual Junior Fest in 2016

10430470_10202074076359727_949118697335342080_n

Liam joined the Nighthawks family when he was 13 years old when he was introduced to the sport through some friends. He is currently wrapping up his Masters of Science Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostats at McGill and will be looking for a job after taking a quick break. Some of the highlights from his time with the Nighthawks include making lifelong friends, getting to coach new players, and playing on the same team as his younger brother.

Throughout his field hockey career Liam competed in three Ontario Summer Games (2008, 2010, 2012) and coached at another in 2016. He also competed at U16 Nationals in 2012. His first International experience was a U17 series against the USA in December 2012, followed by a Youth Pan Am Games in February 2014 where he qualified for the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China later that year. In university Liam took a step back from playing but helped coach the team at Laurier. The Olympic podium was pretty cool (although second hurt a bit at the time) but the thing he enjoyed most was coaching. Some standout highlights for him were assistant coaching at Laurier in fourth year and coaching the U15G East Ontario Team at Nationals in 2019

“Field hockey is a great way to spend time with friends while staying active and has introduced me to people that I have been friends with for more than a decade. It also provided me some great experiences and helped me to compete competitively when I was in high school.

Field hockey is a great sport for a community because it brings together players, parents, coaches, and volunteers from all different backgrounds. It is a very social activity. It is also a good sport for a community because it is relatively inexpensive which makes it more accessible to more people. It would be great to have our own field and facilities. It would also be nice to see a boy’s program in Ottawa that can grow consistently and just seeing the sport grow in general in the area would be fantastic”.

– Liam Manning

Marek Chopra

Marek is a leader and a role model to all our athletes

Outside of hockey Marek is passionate about social and environmental justice and is a recent graduate of Carleton industrial design. Marek started playing field hockey at 5 or 6, and is one of the original 6 juniors of the Nighthawks. But he was really born into it. He started playing with his mom’s Nighthawks team before the junior program even began.

He has played in 3 summer games, 2 winter games, and coached 1 summer games. He played in 7 national championships tournaments and has been umpiring since he was 13. Marek started coaching at 15 and currently plays on the men’s team. He was part of the Bytowne Voyageurs who claimed gold at the HDM Easter tournament in the Hague, NED. He was also part of the FHC junior development squad for 2 years which included a tour to Belgium and the Nederlands. He probably has some of the most games played as a Nighthawk.

His achievements also include gold in The Hague, 2013 and 2017 national’s gold, gold medal as a coach in the 2016 OSG

“I believe hockey is a lot like life; each player and staff member bring a unique set of skill to the squad but unless it is all pieced together as one team there will be no success. The game is an extension of me. Being on the pitch with my teammates brings out the best in me both psychologically and physically. I have learned so many skills from the game which I have been able to carry forward into my life off the pitch. It’s given me a new family and has allowed me to connect with people across the country and around the world whom I never would have met without hockey. FH and the Nighthawks have created a sub-culture which includes all ethnicities, races, genders and skill levels which I have never seen in any other sport. The Centre is going to be a big step for us, allowing FH to grow like never before. My dream for the game in Ottawa is to see a league involving clubs from across the city at junior and senior levels.” – Marek Chopra

70476481_10156231748806036_219539765890908160_n

11754534_714326105362371_3370270407415947357_o

11713789_714326232029025_8885683929971409653_o

Veronike Lacasse

Ronnie brings a calmness to the pitch that is felt by her whole team

“I grew up involved in athletics and sports are such an important part of my life, they allowed me to meet so many new people, learn new things about myself and go on a ton of different adventures. I not only have a passion for playing but also for coaching, I absolutely love being able to share what was such a big part of my life with others and inspire young girls to get out of their comfort zone and do what makes them happy.

On a non-sport side, I am the clumsiest person ever and if there is something to trip over or bump into I’m the one who is going to do it! Field hockey to me means a place where I can have fun and always learn new things. There is not a single time I have shown up to the pitch and left without having learnt something, whether it be something about the game, a new skill, something about myself that I hadn’t yet had the chance to discover. Field hockey also means family, a community where we can come together and share our passion of the game. Field hockey has served as an escape for me. When I show up to the pitch it is a space where I can clear my mind and be fully invested in the game and having fun. Field hockey has brought me so many new friends and has allowed me to create relationships with people that I wouldn’t have otherwise met.” – Ronnie

Veronike is a fourth-year student in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, hoping to pursue a career in physiotherapy. She was introduced to field hockey in 9^th grade Phys ed. class and knew the sport was for her. She loved the physical and tactical aspects of the game and that it was going to be a new challenge. Veronike joined the Nighthawks at U18 (2017) and that same year made the Ontario East U18 team and participated in Nationals in Surrey, BC (2017). She has also played in the University of Ottawa’s field hockey club from 2017-2020.

Her proudest accomplishment in field hockey so far was being selected for the Ontario East U18 team. Veronike remembers not even wanting to try out for the team as it was her first year of club field hockey and felt so out of her league. She was so nervous going into tryouts and almost gave up halfway through because she was so discouraged with her level of experience and skill compared to the other girls. Finding out that she had made the team was the most incredible feeling as she knew that her perseverance and hard work had paid off.

Veronike would love for field hockey to be more openly advertised, the same way ice hockey and soccer are. It is currently a small niche sport that not many people know of and she would love to see a sport that has so greatly impacted her reach more people and continue to grow.

Rhea Chopra

Rhea is methodic in her decisions as an athlete and as a coach

Rhea received a combined honours degree in Humanities and Philosophy and is now pursuing her Master’s in philosophy at Carleton University. She also loves music and teaches piano to students of all ages. When she is not reading books or teaching, she is out gardening. Rhea joined the Nighthawks the first year of the junior program when she was about 10 years old.

Her dad Anil Chopra was one of the founders of the club. She grew up watching him play at tournaments and so when he helped start up the club again, she wanted to play the sport he loved. Rhea has played in the Summer Games twice in 2012 and 2014, the Winter games in 2012, Nationals in BC in 2017, and played on the Carleton University team since 2017. She also went to OFSAA in high school in 2015 and played in numerous non-competitive international games against visiting Welsh & English teams.

Her proudest moment was being named captain of her Ontario East team in Nationals.

To Rhea, field hockey means family and community.

“The culture of this sport has always fostered a supportive environment in which all groups are mingling and helping one another grow as players and as people. The field has always been a safe space for me. My coaches and fellow players in field hockey have always properly balanced a supportive attitude and competitive mindset, thereby creating an encouraging environment where players feel comfortable. I would love for more people to join the field hockey family, especially young kids.” – Rhea Chopra

11713831_714321295362852_3143798838519325370_o

13221141_1015344778514762_1535803968838455107_o

Emily Prystupa

From coast to coast, Emily has played all over Canada

Emily started playing sport when she was 5 with the Nighthawks. Throughout her life Emily has played many sports in addition to fields hockey such as soccer, rugby and track and field, before focusing on field hockey when she went to University. She currently lives in Fredericton, NB working as a peat specialist for the provincial government and is really looking forward to playing field hockey and coaching in Atlantic Canada this summer! Emily has played for the UBC Varsity field hockey team for 4 years and went to national champions from 2014-2017, for the UWaterloo varsity field hockey team in 2018, the Alberta provincial team in 2013 and 2014, and various tournaments with the Halifax Haddocks. Some of her highlights include playing for UBC and winning USport nationals and any time she gets to play with her family. Field hockey means community and time with family to her.

“Field hockey has been in my life for a long as I can remember. My mum is from New Zealand and played for the national team and so starting teaching us at an early age. I have moved around a fair bit and the one thing that I have been able to do every place that I have moved is find a field hockey community. I have always been able to rely on the field hockey community for a place to go when I am new to an area and make amazing lifelong friends. I would love to see field hockey grow in Atlantic Canada. Though I have just arrived from my brother living in Halifax I have already been introduced to some amazing people in the Atlantic Canada community. I would love to see some more opportunities for the existing field hockey community in Atlantic Canada to play and also see more opportunities for people in Atlantic Canada to learn about field hockey.” – Emily Prystupa

Grace Shimokura

Community is everything

Grace is doing a PhD in chemistry at the University of Toronto, and hopes to get involved in the field hockey community in Toronto too. She was so glad to discover field hockey and the Nighthawks in high school, and continued playing and even umpiring while at the University of Waterloo. She started playing for the Nighthawks at 15, as a great summer alternative to ice hockey. She was a member of the U16 Ontario East Summer Games team, and then went on to play for 3 years at the University of Waterloo.

For her, it has been an amazing way to meet awesome people and feel like a member of the community, whether in Ottawa or Waterloo.

“With the Nighthawks, I met amazing people from all around Ottawa that I would never have met otherwise. Also, while playing at University, the players were all encouraged to coach and umpire with community clubs. More people knowing about the sport and being able to enjoy it would be amazing!” – Grace Shimokura

Maya Chopra

Best defender in town

Ivan, Maya, Aleda, Ava, and Connor at Cedarview Middle School

Maya graduated from Industrial Design at Carleton University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Design. Her research interests focus on intersectionality, food insecurity, and the process of co-design. When she is not running around on the field she loves playing guitar and woodworking. Maya joined the Nighthawks at 11, after her dad who played field hockey from a young age encouraged her to play and she fell in love.

Maya has participated in the 2010 Ontario Winter games, 2010 & 2012 Ontario Summer games, and the U23 Nationals in 2018. She also played for the Carleton University team, and various international matches against visiting Welsh and English school teams.

One of her happiest moments was getting to play with her sister Rhea and having their dad coach them on the field. Opposing teams referred to them as “the deadly sisters”!

To Rhea, field hockey is family. She would love to see field hockey grow in Ottawa and recruit more young kids to join.

“All of my family and friends play the sport which builds a loving and encouraging environment and also a competitive one. I am also very passionate about the sport itself because it is so technical and there is always a challenge and room to grow and improve. Field hockey has encouraged many kids to come together in a safe and encouraging environment which builds a healthy community. Physical exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle but most importantly field hockey has built a support system for so many kids.” – Maya Chopra

Maureen Chopra

The Original Nighthawk

Maureen receiving the Grassroots Coaching Award in 2020

1545756_693828840666359_1889192482997339975_n

10436218_693832343999342_3536179311704605144_n

10478205_693841163998460_5847178652287144770_n

10854462_810636442318931_1895352423404922957_o

Maureen began her field hockey days in Calgary and soon found herself on the Canadian Women’s National Team. In the 1990s Maureen moved to Ottawa and that’s where the Nighthawk story beings. She started the Nepean Nighthawks Women’s Program in 2002 and co-founded the Nighthawks Junior Program in 2007, which both continue to grow to this day.

Maureen has been coaching field hockey for over three decades. Maureen has coached over 20 teams and 100s of athletes throughout the club’s history. Beyond the Nighthawks, she has volunteered at every Ontario Summer Games since 1995 and the Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015. Maureen has served as the facilities director for almost 20 years for the Nepean Nighthawks. Even though this was her official title her services and support for the Nighthawks go beyond the title.

Maureen has coached over half a dozen high school teams in Ottawa over 15 years and continues to work with the local school boards to promote and expand programming throughout the City. She continues to organize local tournaments and umpiring clinics to build a sustainable league. Many of Maureen’s athletes have gone on to play, coach, and umpire throughout Canada and the US.

Joshua Kuempel

The import

20248142_1253399901454986_2032253572371637599_o

Joshua was born in Germany and came to Canada in his youth. It wasn’t long before he was making headlines and winning awards in the Ottawa hockey community. Joshua has been playing with the Nighthawks since he
was 10 years old. In 2017, Joshua was a member of both the Men’s National
Junior team (U18) and played in the 2017 test series vs the USA in Los
Angeles. Joshua was also the youngest player in the World Cup Indoor qualifier in Guyana in October 2017, making him the only player in Canada to make both the National Indoor and Outdoor squad. He was also a key member of the U18 Ontario East Team that won the National Championships in Surrey BC in July 2017.

Josh competed in the Youth Pan American Championship in Mexico to help the under-18 Canadian men’s national hockey-5 team to 5 victories in 6 matches to win a bronze medal and qualify for the Youth Olympic Games. Josh was selected for the 2018 Youth Olympic Team which was headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Josh received the 2017 and 2018 Individual Ottawa Sport Award for Field Hockey.

Braedon Muldoon

Doon.

What can we say other than Braedon is a natural talent. Starting on the ice then joining the Nighthawks on the field, Braedon has always been a gifted athlete. With his pal Liam, he competed in the 2014 Youth Pan American Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With their victory the Junior Development Team qualified for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China where Braedon helped the team secure the Silver Medal.

Braedon has also contributed many hours to the local Ottawa field hockey community, primarily through umpiring local tournaments and leagues.

11696347_714327062028942_2299294427100999947_o

14974_599677770143635_6447620738123606671_n

Braedon Muldoon at Nepean's Annual Junior Fest in 2016

Rowan Harris

You've never seen anyone move so fast

Rowan Harris is currently a member of the Women’s National Squad. She made her first Jr. appearance in 2015 in Pennsylvania vs the USA. She went on to make her first Sr. appearance in 2016 in San Diego, again against the USA.

Rowan began playing field hockey in grade 9 as a field player. She didn’t take up goalkeeping until grade 10 with the Nighthawks when a number of concussions made her take up the position for safety reasons.

Her greatest field hockey moment was winning CIS gold with UBC in 2014 and 2015.

Rohan Chopra

Mighty

Rohan Chopra. Rohan started playing field hockey on the sidelines as his parents coached and played. When the Nighthawks Junior Program began in 2007 Rohan was one oft the first to run out on to the field. Rohan played on Ontario Summer games teams, Ontario Provincial teams, and the Canadian Junior Men’s team.

He joined both Braedon and Liam in the 2014 Youth American Championship San Juan, Puerto Rico to qualify the team for the Junior Olympic Games in China.

In 2014 the Nepean Nighthawks U18 Boys Indoor team was a recipient of the Field Hockey Team Award for their victory at the Provincial Indoor Championships.

Rohan was injured in a series playing in Mexico and was not able to compete in China.

In early 2016 Rohan travelled to Chula Vista, California where he competed in the Men’s Under-21 USA Series. Canada won all 4 of the 4 matches in the series.

In the summer of 2016 Rohan stayed closer to home and competed in the 2016 Junior Men’s Pan American Championship in Toronto, ON. Their silver medal success allowed the team to qualify for the Junior World Cup.

Later in 2016, Rohan joined the Team at the Junior World Cup in Lucknow, India.

In between his own training Rohan guided the Nighthawk U16 boys team to a gold medal at the 2016 Ontario Summer Games.

2016 was a big year for Rohan which earned him the 2016 Ottawa Sports Award for Field Hockey.

Rohan is currently finishing up his degree in Information Technology specializing in Photonics and Lasers at Carleton University. He is also leading the Nighthawks through the Development of their Athlete Programming and Curriculum.