Valtteri Filppula
Encyclopedia
Valtteri Filppula (born March 20, 1984) is a Finnish professional ice hockey
forward
, currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings
of the NHL
. He is the younger brother of Ilari Filppula
.
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 against the Calgary Flames
on April 12, 2007 in his first post-season game.
Filppula continued playing for the Red Wings and scored 36 points on his third season for the team.
Filppula won his first Stanley Cup
when Red Wings defeated Pittsburgh Penguins
4-2 in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals
. Filppula scored the 2-0 goal for Detroit on the decisive game 6 of the series, Detroit won the game 3-2.
On July 30, 2008, Filppula signed a five-year, $15-million contract with the Red Wings, avoiding salary arbitration.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
, currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
of the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. He is the younger brother of Ilari Filppula
Ilari Filppula
Ilari Filppula is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the SM-liiga team Jokerit. He is the older brother of Valtteri Filppula of the Detroit Red Wings.-Playing career:...
.
Playing career
Filppula was drafted by the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
in the third-round, ninety-fifth overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
2002 NHL Entry Draft
The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22–23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. 291 players were drafted in total: 35 from the OHL; 23 from the QMJHL; 43 from the WHL; 41 from the NCAA; 6 from U.S high schools and 110 from outside North America....
.
Filppula started his hockey career with the Jokerit
Jokerit
Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...
organization, and secured his place in the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
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
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League....
in the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National 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
Manny Legacé
Emmanuel Legace, is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League. He most recently played in the National Hockey League for the Carolina Hurricanes. He has also played in the National Hockey League for the Los...
in a game against the St. Louis Blues. Filppula scored his first playoff career goal in Game 1 against the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
on April 12, 2007 in his first post-season game.
Filppula continued playing for the Red Wings and scored 36 points on his third season for the team.
Filppula won his first Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
when Red Wings defeated Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
4-2 in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals
2008 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2007–08 season. As a culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings defeated the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh...
. Filppula scored the 2-0 goal for Detroit on the decisive game 6 of the series, Detroit won the game 3-2.
On July 30, 2008, Filppula signed a five-year, $15-million contract with the Red Wings, avoiding salary arbitration.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Jokerit Jokerit Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships... |
SM-liiga SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
49 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Jokerit | SM-liiga | 55 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 2005–06 AHL season The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals.... |
Grand Rapids Griffins Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League.... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
74 | 20 | 50 | 70 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 AHL season The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals.... |
Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 28 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the... |
Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 42 | 23 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 8 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 NHL season The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010... |
Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 55 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 24 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 NHL season The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech... |
Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 71 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 361 | 68 | 100 | 168 | 138 | 75 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 24 | ||||
International play
- Captain of Team Finland at the World U18 Championships in Slovakia in 2002.
- 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships2004 World Junior Ice Hockey ChampionshipsThe 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 26, 2003 and January 5, 2004 in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, Finland...
tournament all-star. - Selected to play for Team Finland 2010 Winter Olympics, which eventually resulted in a bronze medal win over Slovakia. He scored the empty net goal in the 5-3 win.
External links
- Valtteri Filppula on nhlfinns.com