Fashion Lighting Player Spotlight—Ben McFarlane

“Work hard and you’ll get to where you want to be,” is Guelph forward Ben McFarlane’s go-to attitude.

Selected by the Storm in the sixth round of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Ben McFarlane has played a total of 67 games in the Ontario Hockey League. The eight-teen year old will be entering his second official year with the Storm in the upcoming 2021-22 season as surprisingly one of the oldest players on the team. McFarlane scored his first career OHL goal in his second game of the 2019-20 season, a 4-0 win over the Owen Sound Attack on Sept. 27, 2019.

Where it all began

The first time McFarlane ever strapped on skates he was around two years old. Having two older brothers that played hockey it was almost inevitable Ben would also take his shot at the sport. The Ayr, Ont. native spent the majority of his youth playing AA in his hometown before joining the Cambridge Hawks U15 AAA in 2016-17. Racking up an impressive 40 points in 37 games played for the Hawks, Ben led his Cambridge team in goals during both the regular season and playoffs.

Transitioning to the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) Junior B team, the Cambridge RedHawks in 2018-19, he was named to the GOJHL Midwestern All-Rookie Team after producing 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in his 46 games with the Redhawks.

 

 

Offering speed, quick hands and an outstanding work-ethic, five-foot-nine McFarlane was something the Storm could not pass up on. Playing just 13 games as a call-up player for Guelph in 2018-19, Ben was still part of the OHL championship team.

WATCH: McFarlane celebrates 17^th birthday with OHL Cup championship trophy. 

 

The following season, McFarlane put up nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 54 games for the Storm before the Ontario Hockey League was suspended due to COVID-19.

 

Main Camp Memory

Entering the Storm main camp at sixteen-years old McFarlane was unsure of what to expect. Being one of the new and younger players on the ice, it took Ben a couple shifts to find his stride.

“It’s a funny story—I was playing hard, but I wasn’t really playing physical. I didn’t know what the other players were feeling because half of them were on the team. But after one of the coaches told me to just play my game, I went out and began hitting,” said McFarlane. “Without knowing, I ended up throwing a hit on Jack Hanley who at the time was overaged and a pretty big guy. For the rest of the game, we battled it out. But when I finally figured out who he was, I got talking to him and now we’re pretty good friends.”

McFarlane credits Hanley for taking him under his wing and showing him a kindness that he hadn’t quiet experienced before in hockey.

“Hanley told me what I needed to hear and gave me advice about what I had to do if I wanted to go far in hockey. He was kind of like a big brother to me and really helped me get to where I am today,” said McFarlane.

What McFarlane took from Hanley was that to make it far in hockey you have to embody a no-quit work ethic and demonstrate qualities of coachability, confidence, passion, and optimism. Ben backs how important confidence is in a players OHL journey as he says there’s a direct correlation between confidence levels and performance.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is to be confident in myself and I think it’s something that even the best players struggle with—like finding your game, finding what you’re supposed to do, and finding your spot on the ice,” said McFarlane. “I remember early on in my first year with the Storm there were a couple games that I doubted myself and those ended up being my worst played games. So, my confidence is something that I recognize as really important to my growth as a player.”

 

Training and Skating

It’s been a little over a year now since McFarlane’s played a game of hockey. However, the lockdowns haven’t discouraged McFarlane from investing time and energy into bettering himself as a hockey player.

“This year I thought I’d take more time practicing my skills because I have more time on my hands to really focus on it. So, I’ve been skating in Burlington with Michelle Moore who used to be a professional figure skater,” said McFarlane. “She’s honestly amazing and has really broken down my stride. We’ve been doing a lot of one on ones working on my explosiveness and I think that compared to last year when I played, my skating’s definitely a lot more effective and explosive in spots where I need it. We’ve also gotten onto different edges that I didn’t think I could actually hold and get on. Michelle’s definitely helped me a lot.”

 

Off the Ice with McFarlane

When he’s not working out or power skating, Ben enjoys woodworking, drawing, watching nature documentaries and reading up on the latest environmental news. Anything that will pass up time and keep his mind active, McFarlane’s open to giving a try. He considers himself a big hands-on and nature guy and thanks his camp experience for that.

“Every year, my family and like eight other families visit this place we call camp. Our parents-friends own what used to be a kid’s camp, so there’s like cabins, a main hall, stuff like that and it’s just a really cool outdoors vibe. Each year we go all the families have a different project so whether we’re making new docks, fixing up a shed or painting the hall, there’s always opportunity to be hands-on and creative,” said McFarlane.

To continue to enjoy the outdoors McFarlane is big into preserving and protecting the Earth’s environment and ecosystems. By educating himself through Netflix documentaries on green and ocean life to reading articles daily on the climate crisis, McFarlane is an advocate for green and sustainable technologies.

“We only have one world and the way that we treat it definitely has to improve,” asserted McFarlane. “There’s a lot of bad things going on like pollution and rise in temperatures. So, I think that when I get older, I’m going to invest my money and time into finding different ways to help preserve this Earth and get it back to the way it used to be.”

 

Looking Forward

After wrapping up a successful online criminology course, Ben is interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice. He appreciates the mental challenge of solving complex problems and the political aspect of maneuvering Canada’s justice systems.

“There’s so many different career paths and different jobs that can come out of criminal justice—but for me, I’m thinking more along the lines of a lawyer,” commented McFarlane.

When lacing his skates up next season McFarlane is ready to hit the ice with his new and former teammates and show Storm City his newfound confidence.

“I’m hoping that next season we can start on time because I think for everyone next year is going to be a pretty big year. We’re going to be a pretty young team with a lot of guys who don’t have that much experience even though they’re going to be in their second or third years,” said McFarlane. “But if we listen to our coaches and have faith, we’ll have the confidence that everything’s going to work out OK.”

 

Words of Advice

If Ben could give advice to a player pursing an OHL career like himself, he would say:

“Experience everything and don’t let one thing go for granted because these could be some of the best years of your life. Teammates will turn into your brothers and you just have to appreciate everything and the time that you have in the league.”