His first coaching assignment came as an assistant coach for the
Greensboro Monarchs of the
ECHL. His first head coaching position was with the
San Antonio Iguanas of the
Central Hockey League, where he took over when
Bill Goldsworthy became ill. He coached the Iguanas to the finals twice in two years and won the
Commissioner's Trophy for coach of the year in 1995. After spending the first half of the 1996–97 season as an assistant coach with the
San Antonio Dragons of the
International Hockey League, Torchetti became head coach of the
Fort Wayne Komets. In 1998, he won the Commissioners' Trophy. Before the
1999–2000 NHL season Torchetti was hired as an assistant coach for the
Tampa Bay Lightning under
Steve Ludzik. In 2002, Torchetti returned to San Antonio when he was hired as head coach of the
San Antonio Rampage in the
American Hockey League (AHL). After 65 games he was promoted to assistant coach with the parent club, the
Florida Panthers. In 2004, he served 27 games as interim head coach, replacing
Rick Dudley. He finished with a 10–12–4–1 record before being replaced by
Jacques Martin. During the
2005–06 NHL season, Torchetti was hired by
Dave Taylor as interim head coach of the
Los Angeles Kings. With a chance to clinch a playoff spot, he had a 5–7 record in the team's final 12 games and was not retained by the Kings, instead being replaced by
Marc Crawford. In 2006, he was hired by the
Moncton Wildcats to replace
Ted Nolan as head coach and director of hockey operations. He coached the team to a 39–25–0–4 record and a third-placed finish in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Eastern Division. The Wildcats were eliminated in the first round by the
Halifax Mooseheads. Torchetti was hired as an associate coach for the
Chicago Blackhawks on May 16, 2007, and won his first
Stanley Cup in 2010. On July 8, 2010, it was announced that Torchetti has been hired by the
Atlanta Thrashers as the associate head coach under
Craig Ramsay. On July 5, 2011, he was announced as the new head coach of the
Houston Aeros in the AHL, replacing
Mike Yeo. On June 24, 2013, he was introduced as the new head coach of the
Kontinental Hockey League's
CSKA Moscow. On November 12, 2014, he was announced as the head coach of the
Iowa Wild. He replaced
Kurt Kleinendorst, who had started the season with a 2–10 record. This marked a return to a franchise he led in Houston. On February 13, 2016, Torchetti he was promoted to the interim head coach of the NHL's
Minnesota Wild. On June 9, 2016, Torchetti was named an assistant coach for the
Detroit Red Wings. On January 15, 2019, Torchetti was announced to return as the head coach and director of hockey operations for the
Moncton Wildcats. On December 14, 2019, the Wildcats announced that Torchetti was fired, a decision made due to "internal reasons." Torchetti joined the
Philadelphia Flyers' coaching staff as an assistant on January 25, 2022. ==Awards==