During the 2001–02 season, McFarland played with the Pickering Panthers of the OPJHL, where in 48 games, he scored 13 goals and 38 points.
On September 20, 2002, McFarland made his OHL debut, as he was held to no points in a 5–0 loss to the Windsor Spitfires.
On March 21, McFarland played in his first career post-season game as the Rangers defeated the Sault Ste.
Following the season, McFarland won the Herchenrader Family Award, which is given to the Rangers player with the Best Defensive Ability.
On January 9, 2005, the Rangers traded McFarland and a sixth round draft pick to the Windsor Spitfires for Ryan Donally.
[1] McFarland joined the Windsor Spitfires to finish the 2004–05 season, following a mid-season trade from the Kitchener Rangers.
On January 13, 2005, McFarland played in his first game with Windsor, as he scored a goal against Ryan Nie of the Plymouth Whalers in a 5–2 victory.
On November 5, McFarland scored his first career hat trick, and added two assists, for a new career-high of five points in a game, as the Spitfires defeated the Saginaw Spirit 8–2.
In his third season with the Axemen in 2008–09, McFarland remained the captain of the club, as he scored seven goals and 15 points in 28 games.
In his first season with the Frontenacs in 2014–15, he led the club to a 32–28–5–3 record, earning 72 points and sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
On March 27, McFarland coached in his first playoff game, as the North Bay Battalion defeated the Frontenacs 8–0.
In the conference quarter-finals, the Frontenacs defeated the Oshawa Generals in five games, which was the first time since 1998 that the club had won a playoff round.
Kingston finished the season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 33-26-5-4 record, earning 75 points.
The Panthers slumped to a 36–32–14 record in the 2018–19 season, as they earned 86 points, dropping them to tenth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Leafs season concluded on August 9, 2020, after the club lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games in the Eastern Conference qualifying round.
The Kraken struggled to a 27-49-6 record, earning 60 points and in last place in the Pacific Division in the 2021-22 season, missing the post-season.