Noah Welch

Noah Paul Welch (born August 26, 1982) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for HV71 in the Swedish elite league Elitserien while under contract to the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
==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 defenceman 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.
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	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	NHL totals 	NHL totals		75 	4 	5 	9 	58 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==Awards and honours==
Award 	Year 	
College 	College	College
ECAC All-Rookie Team 	2002 	
ECAC All-Conference Honorable Mention	2004 	
ECAC First All-Star Team 	2005 	
East First All-American Team 	2005 	
== 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.
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1982
Category:American ice hockey players
Category:Atlanta Thrashers players
Category:Chicago Wolves players
Category:Florida Panthers players
Category:Harvard Crimson players
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players
Category:Rochester Americans players
Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players
Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players