A shy, quiet kid from Swan River, Manitoba, Ferland wasn't selected until the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, when the Calgary Flames made him the No. 133 pick.

Playing in the Western Hockey League, ECHL and American Hockey League, Ferland did not break into the NHL until Oct. 31, 2014. He played 26 regular-season games for Calgary and nine Stanley Cup Playoff games despite an oblique muscle strain limiting his effectiveness

Ferland began to prove he had the skills to go with his physical style of play. He scored 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) in 2016-17, then bumped those numbers up to 41 points (21 goals, 20 assists) in 2017-18, finishing fourth on the Flames in goals and sixth in points.

That attracted the attention of the Carolina Hurricanes, who acquired him in a trade with the Flames along with Dougie Hamilton and prospect Adam Fox for defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm on June 23, 2018. He scored 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 2018-19 to help the Hurricanes return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons and signed a four-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 10, 2019.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• WHL East Second All-Star Team (2012)
• Traded to Carolina by Calgary with Dougie Hamilton and Adam Fox for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, June 23, 2018.
• Signed as a free agent by Vancouver, July 10, 2019.