"I'm extremely excited to be coming home and joining the Maple Leafs organization," said McFarland. "The Leafs have a great, young team and this is an amazing opportunity to work with Mike, his staff and these talented players."
McFarland, 33, had spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers. Prior to joining the Panthers, he spent three seasons as head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs (2014-17) of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), earning a 111-71-22 record. The native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, first joined the coaching ranks in 2012, serving as an assistant with the Oshawa Generals for two seasons.
As a player, McFarland played four seasons in the OHL, recording 113 points (50-63-113) in 246 games between the Kitchener Rangers (2002-04) and Windsor Spitfires (2005-06). The left-winger won an OHL Championship and Memorial Cup Championship with Kitchener in 2003. In his final season with Windsor, he served as captain. Following his OHL career, McFarland played four seasons for Acadia University and served as captain for three seasons (2007-10).
