Noah Welch

Noah Welch
230px Welch with the Atlanta Thrashers in March 2011
Born	(1982-08-26) August 26, 1982 Brighton, MA, USA
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
SHL team Former teams	Modo Hockey Pittsburgh Penguins Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets HV71 (SEL) Växjö Lakers
NHL Draft	54th overall, 2001 Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career	2005–present

Noah Paul Welch (born August 26, 1982) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Playing career

Welch was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, chosen 54th overall in the 2nd round. Noah was the captain of the Harvard University Hockey team, graduating in 2005. Before his college career at Harvard he played high school hockey at St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts.

Welch made his NHL debut in the latter stages of the 2005–2006 season for the Penguins in a victory over the NY Islanders picking up his first NHL point with an assist. In his next game against the Montreal Canadiens, having replaced the suspended Eric Cairns, he suffered a nightmare start, scoring in his own net, but made amends by scoring his first NHL goal in the third period against the team he always cheered against as a child and Boston Bruins fan. In total he scored four points (one goal, three assists) in five games. He was named to the AHL 2007 All-Star game, representing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

On February 27, 2007, Welch was traded by the Penguins to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Gary Roberts. After two seasons with the Panthers, Welch was traded along with a third round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Steve Eminger. A short time after that, he instead signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.

For season 2011–12, Welch signed a one-year contract with the Swedish team HV71 in the Swedish elite league Elitserien (SEL). He scored 10 points in 51 games. In May 2012 he signed a one-year contract with the SEL team Växjö Lakers.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2001–02	Harvard University	ECAC		27	5	6	11	56		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Harvard University	ECAC		34	6	22	28	70		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Harvard University	ECAC		34	6	13	19	58		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Harvard University	ECAC		34	6	12	18	86		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		77	9	20	29	99		11	1	0	1	18
2005–06	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		5	1	3	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		27	5	16	21	24		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		22	1	1	2	22		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Florida Panthers	NHL		2	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Rochester Americans	AHL		11	2	4	6	21		6	0	2	2	12
2007–08	Florida Panthers	NHL		4	0	0	0	7		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Florida Panthers	NHL		23	1	1	2	11		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Rochester Americans	AHL		7	0	3	3	10		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		17	0	0	0	14		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Chicago Wolves	AHL		37	1	4	5	33		14	0	2	2	10
2010–11	Chicago Wolves	AHL		50	2	11	13	65		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				75	4	5	9	58		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team	2001–02
All-ECAC Hockey Second Team	2002–03
AHCA East Second-Team All-American	2002–03
ECAC All-Conference Honorable Mention	2004
All-ECAC Hockey First Team	2004–05
AHCA East First-Team All-American	2004–05

Personal life

Welch decided to donate his brain to concussion research at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at the Boston University School of Medicine after his death. He has a degree in government from Harvard. In the summer of 2011, Welch married teammate Paul Postma's sister Alissa Postma.

External links

• Noah Welch's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Noah Welch's player profile at NHL.com