RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Director of Hockey Operations of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Brett Bellemore on a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Bellemore $525,000 per season at the NHL level, or $70,000 per season at the minor-league level.

“Brett played well in Charlotte last year, particularly following the All-Star Break,” said Francis. “We were pleased with his continued development in his second full year as a pro.”

Bellemore, 23, played in 71 regular-season games with the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers in 2010-11, scoring two goals and earning eight assists (10 points). His plus-8 plus/minus rating, as well as and his 74 penalty minutes, ranked him second among Checkers defensemen who played in more than half of the team’s games. In 31 games following the AHL’s All-Star break, Bellemore (6’4”, 205 lbs.) earned six points (1g, 5a) and posted a plus-13 plus/minus rating. The Windsor, Ont., native has scored three goals and earned 14 assists (17 points) in 156 career regular-season games with Carolina’s AHL affiliates. The Hurricanes drafted Bellemore in the sixth round, 162nd overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.