Background
Filppula, Valtteri was born on March 20, 1984 in Vantaa, Finland.
Filppula, Valtteri was born on March 20, 1984 in Vantaa, Finland.
Filppula was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round, 95th overall, in the 2002 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Filppula started his hockey career with the Jokerit organization, and secured his place in the Master of Science-liiga team in the 2003-2004 season as an offensive forward. However, Filppula moved to North America to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
He was selected to play for PlanetUSA in the 2005-2006 AHL All-Star Game.
On December 15, 2005, Filppula made his National Hockey League debut with the Red Wings, becoming the first Finnish player ever to play an National Hockey League game for Detroit. He scored his first National Hockey League goal on October 28, 2006, against former Red Wing goaltender Manny Legace in a game against the Saint Louis Blues.
He then scored his first playoff career goal in Game 1 of the 2007 playoffs against the Calgary Flames on April 12, 2007, his first post-season game. Filppula continued playing for the Red Wings and scored 36 points on his third season for the team in the 2007-2008 season.
On July 30, 2008, Filppula signed a five-year, $15-million contract extension with Detroit, avoiding salary arbitration.
On September 21, 2012, Filppula signed with his former team club Jokerit in Finland as a result of the 2012-2013 National Hockey League lockout that halted play. He returned to the Red Wings at the conclusion of the lockout, as his contract with Jokerit was signed to last as long as the lockout did. On July 5, 2013, Filppula signed a five-year, $25 million contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Filppula was named captain of Finland at the World under-18 Championships in Slovakia in 2002.
At the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he scored four goals and five assists in seven games to be selected as the tournament all-star. On January 7, 2014, Filppula was named to the team Finland roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
On February 6, 2014, Filppula suffered an ankle injury in Tampa Bay"s 4–1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The injury was diagnosed as a non-displaced fracture and he was expected to miss at least three weeks, forcing him to miss the Olympics.