Micheal Ferland

Micheal Ferland
Micheal Ferland
Born	April 20, 1992 (age 34); Swan River, Manitoba, Canada
Occupation	Ice hockey winger
Years active	2012–2023

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Micheal Ferland, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 28 November 2025

Micheal Ferland (born April 20, 1992) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who competed with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Carolina Hurricanes. The Flames selected him in the fifth round, 133rd overall, during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Born in Swan River, Manitoba, Ferland is the middle child among three siblings and was raised by his mother, Dianne, who worked as a dietary aide. He participated in house league hockey until he was 15 years old before advancing to play for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. Due to financial constraints, charitable organizations such as KidSport and the Manitoba Métis Federation assisted in covering the costs of his hockey equipment. Although his sister Samantha did not compete in organized hockey, she contributed to supporting the family’s hockey goals. The local community also helped fund his registration fees with the Wheat Kings.

Junior

At age 17, Ferland joined the major junior ranks with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL), tallying 9 goals and 28 points across 61 games in the 2009–10 season. He also took part in 15 playoff contests and five Memorial Cup matches. After being drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2010, he remained with Brandon for two additional seasons, producing 56 points in 2010–11 and ranking ninth overall in WHL scoring with 96 points during 2011–12.

Ferland began his professional journey in the 2012–13 season with Calgary’s AHL team, the Abbotsford Heat, but faced challenges related to conditioning that led to a brief demotion to the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies. Subsequently traded to the Saskatoon Blades, he played a pivotal role in their impressive 18-game winning streak and their appearance at the 2013 Memorial Cup, even though he had contemplated leaving hockey earlier that year.

Calgary Flames

Throughout Ferland’s early professional years, the Flames organization provided strong developmental support. During the 2012–13 campaign, head coach Bob Hartley introduced him to former NHL player and fellow Indigenous athlete Gino Odjick to assist with his adaptation to pro hockey. Returning to Abbotsford for the 2013–14 season significantly leaner by 24 pounds compared to the previous year, Ferland amassed 18 points in just 25 games before a knee injury on December 12, 2013, prematurely ended his season. Prior to this setback, he was under consideration for a call-up to Calgary as recognition for his advancement.

Entering training camp for the 2014–15 season fully healthy, Ferland impressed coaching staff with his offensive skills and physical style but was initially assigned to Calgary’s new AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Flames. Leading Adirondack with four goals and five assists over nine games, he was recalled on October 30, 2014, following an injury to Mikael Backlund. Ferland made his NHL debut the following night during a 4–3 victory against the Nashville Predators but missed eight subsequent games after suffering an elbow blow to the head from Anton Volchenkov, who received a four-game suspension. On November 22, 2014, Ferland recorded his first NHL point by assisting on a goal scored by Josh Jooris in a tight 5–4 win over the New Jersey Devils. After ten appearances with Calgary, he was reassigned to Adirondack.

During his second recall stint, Ferland netted his inaugural NHL goal — a game-winning score against goaltender Carter Hutton of the Nashville Predators — contributing to a 5–2 triumph on March 29, 2015. He concluded his rookie NHL campaign with two goals and five points over 26 games. In Calgary’s opening playoff round versus the Vancouver Canucks, Ferland quickly became popular among fans due to his aggressive style of play. His confrontations with Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa drew attention; despite Bieksa dismissing him as "irrelevant," Ferland played a crucial role in Game 6 by igniting a Flames rally and scoring an empty-net goal in a decisive 7–4 win that eliminated Vancouver. His strong postseason showing led to a two-year contract extension worth $1.65 million.

Carolina Hurricanes

On June 23, 2018, Ferland was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a deal that included Dougie Hamilton and prospect Adam Fox going to Carolina in return for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. During the 2018–19 campaign, Ferland achieved a personal best with 23 assists, complemented by 17 goals and a total of 40 points, playing a key role in the Hurricanes' first playoff appearance in ten years. In the first round against the Washington Capitals, Ferland was removed from Game 2 following a hit on Capitals forward Nic Dowd; both Ferland and head coach Rod Brind’Amour insisted the hit was legal.

Ferland’s impact in the playoffs was limited by injuries, contributing only one assist across seven games.

Vancouver Canucks

As a free agent, Ferland agreed to a four-year contract worth $14 million with the Vancouver Canucks on July 10, 2019. His debut season with Vancouver was hampered by concussion-related setbacks, restricting him to just 14 games and causing him to exit multiple contests due to recurring symptoms. After sitting out the entire 2020–21 season because of ongoing concussion issues, Ferland voiced uncertainty about resuming his professional hockey career.

Upon the conclusion of his contract following the 2022–23 season, Ferland entered unrestricted free agency. He has not inked a deal with any team since and is widely considered retired despite no official retirement statement.

Coaching career

On July 16, 2024, Ferland was appointed as a skills coach for the Kenora Devils Cap Islanders for the 2024/2025 season. Prior to this role, he served as an assistant coach for the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA team and was head coach of Team Manitoba, guiding them to victory at the 2023 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

Personal life

Ferland is of Cree heritage.

Before the start of the 2012–13 season, he faced charges of assault and aggravated assault stemming from an altercation at a bar in Cochrane, Alberta. He competed for two seasons under this legal uncertainty before being acquitted in 2014 after a jury determined he acted in self-defense.

Ferland also battled alcoholism but sought support from Flames head coach Bob Hartley, teammate Brian McGrattan—who had overcome similar struggles—and minor league coach Mike Thompson. On March 27, 2015, shortly before netting his first NHL goal, he marked one year of sobriety. Hartley publicly commended Ferland’s dedication to recovery and perseverance.

Career statistics

2016–17 NHL season Calgary Flames NHL 76 15 10 25 50 4 0 0 0 7 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2017–18 NHL season Calgary Flames NHL 77 21 20 41 24 |- 2018–19 NHL season Carolina Hurricanes NHL 71 17 23 40 58 7 0 1 1 18 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2019–20 NHL season Vancouver Canucks NHL 14 1 4 5 7 2 0 0 0 7 |- 2019–20 AHL season Utica Comets AHL 1 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2007–08	Brandon Wheat Kings AAA	MMHL	40	12	8	20	20	6	3	2	5	4
2008–09	Brandon Wheat Kings AAA	MMHL	44	45	40	85	52	6	4	5	9	8
2008–09	Beausejour Blades	MJHL	1	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL	61	9	19	28	85	15	3	1	4	8
2010–11	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL	56	23	33	56	110	6	4	2	6	4
2011–12	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL	69	47	49	96	84	8	3	3	6	6
2012–13	Abbotsford Heat	AHL	7	0	0	0	10
2012–13	Utah Grizzlies	ECHL	3	0	1	1	5
2012–13	Brandon Wheat Kings	WHL	4	1	1	2	4
2012–13	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	26	8	21	29	18	4	0	0	0	2
2013–14	Abbotsford Heat	AHL	25	6	12	18	31
2014–15	Adirondack Flames	AHL	32	7	8	15	30
2014–15	Calgary Flames	NHL	26	2	3	5	16	9	3	2	5	23
2015–16	Calgary Flames	NHL	71	4	14	18 45
NHL totals !335 !60 !74 !134 !200 !22 !3 !3 !6 !55\|}