Carolina today signed 19-year-old Brett Bellemore to a three-year entry-level contract that will pay him $500,000 at the NHL level and average $55,000 in the minors.

Bellemore, who played four of Albany's last six regular-season games and five of seven in the playoffs, also receives a $100,000 signing bonus.

“Brett is a big and smart defenseman who can log a lot of minutes," Carolina assistant GM and Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis said in a statement. "He played well in Albany at the end of the year, and we look forward to watching his development as a professional.”

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Bellemore was drafted by Carolina in the sixth round, 162nd overall, in 2007. He played the past three junior seasons with Plymouth in the Ontario League, and led all Canadian Hockey League defensemen with a plus-48 rating in 2006-07.