Noah Welch

Over the last 4 seasons, Welch has bounced between the NHL and the minor leagues. Though he did manage to get into 40 games last year while splitting time with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, Welch isn’t considered a viable fantasy sleeper for the 2010-2011 season.

Welch will stay down in the bottom 1/3 of the six starting D-Men day in and day out and shouldn’t see more than 10-15 minutes of ice time. He will be asked to sit for teammates Anssi Salmela and Grant Lewis when Coach John Anderson wants to give them some playing time as well. Welch will be a player you want to stay away from.

Welch missed virtually the entire 2007-08 season recovering from surgery for a shoulder separation. In the meantime, Florida has added three bona fide top six blueliners, so Welch will have to earn playing time.

The reason Gary Roberts went to Pittsburgh instead of Toronto was Noah Welch. By acquiring Welch, the Panthers added a young gritty rearguard capable of providing a well-tuned cannon from the point on the power play. Florida expects him to step into the lineup, though he may end up platooning until Branislav Mezei’s annual season-ending injury. But if Welch is in the lineup, expect him to tee a few up from the blue line on the second power-play unit.

Recalled by the Pens in January of 2007. Welch, who saw his first professional action in 2005 after playing his collegiate hockey for Harvard, scored a goal and added three assists in five games with Pittsburgh last year. The 24-year-old defenseman will get a chance to crack the Penguins' lineup in 2006. He offers a steady stay-at-home defensive ability and would complement the more offensively oriented Whitney. Welch does have some scoring potential himself. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound defender amassed 29 points (9/20) in 77 games for Wilkes-Barre last season, collecting 99 penalty minutes. If he doesn't open the campaign with Pittsburgh, he'll likely be recalled shortly thereafter.