TORONTO—The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's hockey team is excited to announce the addition of Bulbul Kartanbay to their coaching staff. 

Kartanbay brings a wide array of playing and coaching experience to her new position as assistant coach. A trailblazer for women's hockey, she was the first Kazakh-born player to compete in professional women's hockey in North America, playing in both the NWHL (now PHF) and the WCHL. 

A member of the Kazakhstan National Women's Team for seven years, Kartanbay earned the prestigious Master of Sports of International Class title in 2017. The same year, she won a silver medal in the IIHF World Championships. In 2018, Kartanbay won a bronze medal in the Winter Asian Games, continuing to build on her already impressive resume. 

During her time with the Kazakhstan Women's National Team, Kartanbay also played for the Kazakhstan Capitals, where she was named team captain. In 2021, she was a finalist for 100 New Faces of Kazakhstan and recognized on the Forbes Kazakhstan 30 Under 30 Sports list. 

Beyond her playing career, the 32-year-old has transitioned into coaching and development. Kartanbay is the founder of several sports initiatives aimed at growing hockey, both in Kazakhstan and internationally. 

Contributing to TMU both on and off the ice, Kartanbay will begin her Master of Professional Communications program in the fall. When she's not using her coaching expertise, Kartanbay creates hockey and lifestyle content for her almost 50k followers under the handle @kartanbay.