The first time Andrea Kollova went to hockey practice in her native Slovakia, she wore figure skates, pink sweatpants and a Team Canada jersey. The coach of the boys team she was skating with told her she wouldn’t last long.
Seven years on from that first practice in her hometown of Kosice, the 18-year-old forward is preparing for her freshman season with the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team. She’s appeared in 35 international games for Slovakia, and brings to campus the kind of dynamic offensive talent the Ravens lacked at times last season.
“I’ve really wanted to play in Canada since I was very young,” Kollova said, who spent the past two seasons playing in Cornwall with the Ontario Hockey Academy. “I’m very excited to join the Ravens and learn everything I can from [head coach] Pierre [Alain], because he’s such an experienced coach.”
Crunching the numbers on Kollova’s international career is a mind-boggling exercise; the 5’8” forward began organized hockey at age 11, first suited up for the Slovak Under-18 team at age 14, and made her first senior-level appearance for Slovakia at just 16.
“I’ve got a couple medals from World Championships,” she said proudly. “We won the bronze medal [at] the 2015 under-18 Worlds, I was the assistant captain, and in 2016 I was captain and we got a bronze medal.”
For third-year Ravens head coach Pierre Alain, the signing of a highly-sought international player like Kollova is nothing short of a coup.
“When you bring a player into your program that plays for her national team, it’s always good because you know they’ve been through camps and their work ethic is very good,” Alain said. “If they come from overseas, it’s because they want to be better players, better athletes, and experience hockey in Canada.”
Alain sees a well-rounded leader in Kollova, a point-per-game player in Slovakia’s women’s league prior to her move to prep school in Cornwall.
“She’s a two-way player, very mature, and works very, very hard,” Alain said. “She can play centre, she can play wing—we’re happy to have her.”
Kollova will be Carleton’s fourth international recruit of the decade; Germany’s Sara Seiler, now the team manager, suited up for the Ravens from 2008-12, Japanese-turned-Czech goaltender Eri Kiribuchi played for Carleton from 2010-14, and Norwegian international Hedda Gjerde played at Carleton from 2012-16.
Despite the Slovak forward’s excitement to join the Ravens this season, her commitment to the program wasn’t without controversy.
Kollova initially committed to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s St. Lawrence Saints in January, but upon reflection, she decided that her best option remained on the banks of the Rideau River at Carleton.
“I considered what I really want in my life, [and] found that St. Lawrence might not be the best fit for me,” she said. “I really like Ottawa—the energy of this city, the campus of Carleton—and I can’t wait to study at the Sprott School of Business.”
One program’s loss was another’s gain—Pierre Alain had landed his first international recruit.
“She did commit to St. Lawrence, but they came here to visit way before they went to St. Lawrence,” Alain said, who has aggressively recruited the past two seasons. “They really liked the campus—mom and dad and Andrea told me ‘Pierre, if she’s going to play CIS, she is going to play at Carleton.’”
After a visit to Yale and eventually committing to the Saints program, Kollova had a change of heart.
“They called me a couple days after the official commitment,” Alain said. “They’d decided to come here, and obviously we were very happy with that.”
Along with Kollova, nine other recruits are expected to make their debuts with the women’s hockey team this fall.
Meanwhile, forward Becky Davidson has chosen not to return this season for personal reasons. Davidson registered four points in 19 games as a rookie last season
Third-year goaltender Katelyn Steele is poised to battle freshman Summer Roberts for the starting job, while local rookie Jenny Walker will also be vying for time in the crease.
