RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Director of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Jeremy Welsh to an entry-level contract. The one-year deal will pay Welsh $832,500 on the NHL level and $70,000 on the AHL level, along with a signing bonus of $92,500. He will join the Hurricanes in Ft. Lauderdale for the team’s final game of the 2011-12 NHL season.