According to the Ontario Hockey League on Friday, the Kingston Frontenacs have named Paul McFarland of Richmond Hill, Ontario as their head coach. McFarland is actually returning to Kingston as he was the Frontenacs head coach from 2014 to 2017.
In three seasons with Kingston as their head coach, McFarland had a record of 111 wins, 71 regulation losses and 22 losses in extra time. Each year when McFarland was in charge of Kingston, the Frontenacs made the playoffs. Twice during that time, the Frontenacs won two Ontario Hockey League playoff series, as Kingston beat the Oshawa Generals four games to one in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2016, and then beat the Hamilton Bulldogs four games to three in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2017.
In the last three seasons, McFarland has been an assistant coach in the National Hockey League. From 2017 to 2019, he was an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers and worked under head coach Bob Boughner of Windsor, Ontario. Then this season, 2019-20, McFarland has been an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has worked under Mike Babcock of Manitouwadge, Ontario and Sheldon Keefe of Brampton, Ontario.
McFarland will remain the Maple Leafs assistant coach until the 2019-20 NHL season is over. At the time of the coronavirus pause, the Maple Leafs were in third place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 36 wins, 25 regulation losses and nine losses in extra time for 81 points.
As a player, McFarland played four seasons with the Kitchener Rangers and Windsor Spitfires of the OHL from 2002 to 2006. The 34 year-old left winger also played four seasons from 2006 to 2010 with Acadia University of Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
In Kingston, McFarland takes over from former NHL defenseman Kurtis Foster of Carp, Ontario. Foster had coached the Frontenacs from 2018 to 2020. In 10 NHL seasons from 2002 to 2013, Foster played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers.
