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.

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.