Karolina Urban

Karolina Urban is a former women’s ice hockey player. Selected by the Toronto Furies in the 2012 CWHL Draft, she was also a member of the Canada women's national ball hockey team that won a gold medal at the 2015 ISBHF World Championships in Zug, Switzerland. Karolina was also part of the Markham Thunder in 2017-2018 who won the Clarkson cup.

Karolina Urban
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Position	Forward
Shoots	Right
CWHL team	Toronto Furies (2012-13) Calgary Inferno (2013-14) Markham Thunder (2017-)
Playing career	2008–present
Medal record Women's ice hockey Representing  Canada ISBHF World Street Hockey Championships 2015 Switzerland Team

Playing career

Born in Poland, Urban’s family emigrated to Canada when she was four years old. Raised in Kamloops, British Columbia, Urban played both soccer and hockey during her high school years. Winning a gold medal in ice hockey at the 2006 British Columbia Winter Games, Urban was named to the provincial team that competed at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon.[1]

CIS

Having joined the Toronto Varsity Blues women's ice hockey program in autumn 2007, Urban played for head coach (and former Winter Games gold medalist) Vicky Sunohara from 2010 to 2012. In her final three seasons, Urban served as team captain.

On January 4, 2010, Urban notched four points in one game versus the Guelph Gryphons. Urban was only the fifth player in Lady Blues history to be a three-time captain. In her rookie year, the Blues finished with OUA silver falling to Laurier in a best-of-three OUA final. She helped the Varsity Blues jump from a sixth-place finish in the OUA in 2010–11 to a third-place finish the following year. In addition, the Blues finished tenth in the national rankings. Statistically, she recorded 41 goals and 46 helpers.

In her final season with the Varsity Blues, Urban was a nominee for the 2012 University of Toronto Female Athlete of the Year Award.[2]

CWHL

Selected by the Toronto Furies in the 5th round of the 2012 CWHL Draft, Urban would play one season (2012–13) for the Furies. Wearing number 67, Urban made her debut on October 20, 2012 against the Brampton Thunder.[3]

A 4-1 home win on November 18, 2012 saw Urban log the first assist and goal in her CWHL career, subsequently logging the first multi-point game in her career. She would earn an assist on the first goal of the game, scored by Shannon Moulson. In the third period, Urban would score at the 18:19 mark, with Kristy Zamora gaining credit for the assist. [4]

The following season, Urban joined the Calgary Inferno, helping the squad qualify for the postseason for the first time in franchise history. With the Inferno, Urban registered the final point of her CWHL career with an assist on January 19, 2014. Along with Laura Dostaler, the two assisted on Erin Duggan’s first-period goal, part of a 5–1 win against the Brampton Thunder.[5]

Europe

At the 2014 European Women’s Champions Cup, Urban competed with Kazakhstan’s Aisulu Almaty team. In the second round of Group G play, Urban accumulated three points.[6]

For the 2015-16 women’s ice hockey season, Urban joined the Aisulu Almaty women’s ice hockey team, competing in the European Women’s Hockey League. Of note, she was one of three Canadians on the roster.[7]

Joining Urban on said roster included Rayne Cruickshank and Chelsea Purcell. As a side note, Purcell and Urban were teammates on the Calgary Inferno during the 2013–14 CWHL season.

Ball hockey

As a member of the Canada women's national ball hockey team, Urban played in seven games. The Canadian team went on to capture the gold medal, posting an undefeated mark.[8]

Urban’s first appearance for Canada in the tournament was a 10-0 win against Italy on June 22.[9] A 9–1 win against Switzerland on June 24 saw Urban and Chelsea Purcell both gain the assist on a goal scored by April Drake.[10] In the semifinals, Urban and Drake would both log the assist on a goal scored by Purcell, Canada's second of the game.[11]

Career stats

Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
2007-08	Toronto Varsity Blues	Ontario University Athletics		26	12	3	15		24
2008-09	Toronto Varsity Blues	OUA		27	8	8	16		16
2009-10	Toronto Varsity Blues	OUA		27	10	18	28		26
2010-11	Toronto Varsity Blues	OUA		27	5	9	14		34
2011-12	Toronto Varsity Blues	OUA		26	5	8	13		24
2012-13 [12]	Toronto Furies	CWHL		23	2	1	3	+1	0
2013-14 [13]	Calgary Inferno	CWHL		23	0	1	1	-16	24
2014-15	Aisulu Almaty	European Women’s Champions Cup		3	1	1	2	4	2 [14]
2015-16	Aisulu Almaty	EWHL		20	5	4	9	+7	16 [15]

Personal

In 2012, Urban graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Physical Health and Education in Kinesiology and Exercise Science. Urban would also earn a Master of Science (MSc) in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary in 2014. Currently, she is working on a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Toronto.

References

1. "Whitehorse 2007 Canada Winter Games Participant". Canada Winter Games. n.d. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
2. "BLUES MAJOR AWARD NOMINEES: CLARA BENSON AWARD". Varsity Blues Athletics. 2012-04-02. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
3. "Game Recap". CWHL. 2012-10-20. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
4. "Game Recap". CWHL. 2012-11-28. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
5. "Game Recap". CWHL. 2014-01-19. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
6. "Ice Hockey, Second Round Group G, European Women's Champions Cup, Player Statistics By Team (As of Sun 7 Dec 2014), ALM – Aisulu Almaty" (PDF). IIHF. n.d. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
7. "Aisulu Almaty". Euro Hockey. n.d. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
8. "Group 5 - Canada". zug2015.com. n.d. Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
9. "Game Protocol - Italy vs. Canada". zug2015.com. June 22, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
10. "Game Protocol – Switzerland vs. Canada". zug2015.com. June 24, 2015. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
11. "Game Protocol – Czech Republic vs. Canada". zug2015.com. June 27, 2015. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
12. "Toronto Furies Statistics". CWHL. n.d. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
13. "Calgary Inferno Statistics". CWHL. n.d. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
14. "Statistics Aisulu Almaty 2014-2015, League: European Women´s Champions Cup". Euro Hockey. n.d. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
15. "Elite Hockey Prospects, Karolina Urban". Elite Prospects. n.d. Retrieved 2016-08-15.