Detroit Red Wings: Two Filppulas in Motown, Both With Something To Prove

On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings looked to a familiar source for talent as they continue to add roster options for the 2010-11 season.

The source: the Filppula Family.

The older brother of Valtteri, Ilari Filppula (28), has inked a one-year two-way deal that will pay him a maximum of $500,000, should he make the big club out of training camp.

Filppula has played his entire professional career in the Finnish Elite League, beginning in 2003.

He's played the last two seasons for TPS Turku and just completed his best statistical season, finishing with 12 goals and 37 assists in 58 games.

TPS Turku emerged as Finnish Elite League Champions this year, with Filppula being awarded the Jarri Kurri Award as playoff MVP.

The elder Filppula, a winger, possesses similar puck handling and offensive skills as his younger brother, though is not as smooth a skater as Valtteri.

Filppula's biggest challenge in his quest to become an NHL player will likely be his ability to adapt to the physicality of the NHL, as well as the smaller playing surface.

Considered to be one of the best players in Finland, Red Wings GM Ken Holland hopes he will quickly adjust to the NHL and add immediate value to the Wings' offense.

However tall this order might be, Ilari Filppula will have two things going for him in camp.

First, there's the familiar face he'll have in the locker room and on the ice.

Valtteri Filppula will be entering his sixth season in Detroit and will be an able guide for his older brother as he feels his way around the team.

Second, the Red Wings' style of play, that of puck-possession, speed, and skill, is similar to the European style of play Ilari has excelled at.

While Ilari Filppula emerging out of training camp as a roster player (and at a price tag of $500,000) would be a great boon to the Wings, the other Filppula also has a challenge ahead of him.

Both head coach Mike Babcock and Valtteri Filppula, himself, have said that he must take his game to another level next season.

Filppula really started coming into his own in the 2007-08 season, finishing with 36 points (19 G, 17 A) and a plus-16 rating in 78 games played.

He continued his strong play in that year's playoffs, notching five goals, six assists, and a plus-seven rating en route to Detroit's Stanley Cup championship.

The following season, Filppula broke the 40-point plateau for the first time in his career and became an even larger force in the playoffs, posting 16 points (3 G, 13 A) and a plus-eight rating in 23 games.

All signs pointed to the 2009-10 season being a break-out year for the Finnish forward.

However, on October 30, 2009, in a game against the Edmonton Oilers, Filppula suffered a badly broken wrist which kept him out of commission for the next two months, thus derailing his season.

Filppula still managed to post 35 points in 55 games last season, however, with his skill set and experience, the Wings can only wonder how much better he'd have done had he been able to play closer to 82 games.

This upcoming season, Filppula knows he's at a point where he'll need to take on a larger role with the team to truly earn the $3.5 million he'll make this year.

Valterri Filppula has the skill, speed, experience, and work ethic to be a dominant force in the NHL, but, injury or no, last season was his last opportunity to perform below his potential and not become a concern for the organization.

Hopefully, having his brother in town and on the ice will create a bit of a sibling rivalry for both men and, thus, spur both to reach their respective goals.