The Calgary Hitmen are on the hunt for a new head coach.

After one campaign as bench boss for the Western Hockey League squad, Paul McFarland is moving a few hours north to join the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as an assistant on Kris Knoblauch’s staff.

Some offers are too good to pass up — like the opportunity to oversee a power-play unit that features the starry likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

McFarland, 39, has six seasons of NHL experience. He has previously been an assistant in Florida, Toronto and Seattle, running the man-advantage on each of those stops.

“We extend our sincere thanks to Paul for his leadership and the positive impact he made during his time with the Hitmen,” the WHL team said in a release Monday.

With McFarland at the helm, the Hitmen rolled to a 45-17-6 record in the 2024-25 campaign, finishing third in the overall standings with 96 points. They were considered a top contender for the WHL title, but were eliminated by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs.

The Oilers came calling after Glen Gulutzan — another familiar name around the Saddledome — was hired by the Dallas Stars.

“I have a lot of respect for Paul. I think he’s an excellent coach,” said Knoblauch, who has led the Oilers to two straight trips to the Stanley Cup final, after Monday’s announcement. “My time knowing him has gone back to coaching against him in the Ontario Hockey League and I also coached with him for a short period of time with Hockey Canada.

Related

“I know a lot of coaches who are familiar with him, have spent a lot of time with him, and have a lot of respect for him. He’s a hard-working guy, brings a lot of enthusiasm to work. I think those are good attributes to bring to our team. And just the fact that he’s been running an NHL power-play for many years … The success that he had with those good power-plays in Toronto and Florida, I believe he’ll be able to bring that over and have a good, strong working relationship with the players that we have on our team right now.”

The Hitmen head-coaching hire also will need to fill out the bench staff.   

After working as one of McFarland’s assistants, David Liffiton has accepted a similar role with the AHL’s Wranglers. The Hitmen announced Monday that fellow assistant Ben Wilson is “departing the organization to pursue new opportunities.”