Bulbul Kartanbay

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Bulbul Kartanbay
Булбул Картанбай
Born (1993-07-30) 30 July 1993 (age 30)
Jambyl Region, Kazakhstan
Height 164 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
SWHL A team
Former teams
Neuchâtel Hockey Academy
National team  Kazakhstan
Playing career 2011–present
Website Official website

Bulbul Kartanbay or Bulbul Kartanbayeva (Kazakh: Булбул Картанбай, Булбул Картанбаева; born 30 July 1993) is a Kazakh ice hockey forward and a member of the Kazakh national team, currently playing in the Swiss Women's League with Neuchâtel Hockey Academy. Kartanbay is founder and owner of the first women’s ice hockey academy in Kazakhstan. She was the first player from Kazakhstan to play in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL; renamed PHF in 2021) and to be affiliated with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).[1][2][3]

Playing career[edit]

Kartanbay was captain of Tomyris Astana in the Kazakh city of Astana (Nur-Sultan) before being drafted 15th overall by the Boston Blades in the 2017 CWHL Draft.[4] In 2018, she moved to North America to tryout for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). She signed her first North American contract with the NWHL's Metropolitan Riveters in 2019. After facing issues getting her visa processed – which delayed receipt of her pay until halfway through the season – she played just ten games with the Riveters before being sidelined due to a concussion sustained in a car accident.[5]

In June 2020, Kartanbay was appointed one of the head coaches for the Princeton Tiger Lilies, an elite girls' minor and junior club in New Jersey.[6] In September, it was announced that she was joining the New Hampshire section of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), though she ultimately became affiliated as an independent player rather than joining a regional section.[7]

International[edit]

Kartanbay has played over 30 games for the senior Kazakh women's national team, first making the team as a teenager in 2012 and later serving as captain.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Kartanbay has a degree in tourism and hospitality from the International Information Technology University in Almaty.[8] Outside of hockey, she owns a bakery.[9] Also, Bulbul has her own hockey brand "Kartanbay brand".

Bulbul was finalist of "100 new faces of Kazakhstan" 30 April 2021; "Forbes 30 under 30" 2021 - Sport.

She is a social entrepreneur, working on women's sports development in her country.

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2019-20 Metropolitan Riveters NWHL 10 0 0 0 2 -–
NWHL totals 10 0 0 0 2 -–

References[edit]

  1. ^ Murphy, Mike (9 August 2019). "Bulbul Kartanbay: Chasing a Dream". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. ^ Rice, Dan (17 August 2019). "Metropolitan Riveters: Kazakhstan Native Kartanbay & Nicole Arnold Sign". The Hockey Writers. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b Shayakhmetova, Zhanna (21 September 2019). "Bulbul Kartanbay is first Kazakh athlete to play in National Women's Hockey League". The Astana Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ Witte, Michelle (10 October 2015). "Astana Women's Hockey Team First Place Contender, Says Coach". The Astana Times. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ Whelan, Kirsten (23 September 2020). "Bulbul Kartanbay on the Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens of North American Hockey". The Victory Press. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Coaches". Princeton Tiger Lilies Ice Hockey Club. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  7. ^ Jay, Michelle (19 May 2020). "2020-21 PWHPA Tracker". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  8. ^ "About". kartanbay.com. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Bulbul Kartanbay – The First Kazakh Athlete to Play in the NWHL". Fine Art Shippers. 18 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.

External links[edit]