Valtteri Filppula (born March 20, 1984 in Vantaa,
Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey
forward, currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings
of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also the
younger brother of Ilari Filppula.
Filppula was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the
third-round, ninety-fifth overall, in the 2002 NHL
Entry Draft.
Filppula started his hockey career with the Jokerit
organization, and secured his place in the SM-liiga
team in the 2003-04 season as an excellent offensive
forward. He won the SM-liiga silver medal with
Jokerit in 2005, and was set to become the team's
number one center for the next season. However,
Filppula headed across the Atlantic to play for the
Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League.
He was selected to play for PlanetUSA in the 2005–06
AHL All-Star Game.
On December 15, 2005 he made his NHL debut with the
Red Wings, becoming the first Finnish player ever to
play an NHL game for Detroit. He scored his first
NHL goal on October 28, 2006 against former Wing
Manny Legacé in a game against the St. Louis Blues.
Filppula scored his first playoff career goal in
Game 1 vs the Calgary Flames on April 12, 2007 in
his first post season game.
