ECHL Player, Coach Torchetti Named Interim Coach of Panthers
February 9, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
SUNRISE, Fla. - Florida Panthers General Manager Rick Dudley announced on
Monday that former ECHL player and assistant coach John Torchetti has been
named interim head coach. The Augusta Lynx of the ECHL are affiliated with
both the Panthers and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey
League.
Torchetti, who joined the Panthers coaching staff as an assistant on March
6, 2003, takes over for Dudley, who led the team to a 13-15-19-3 record
since assuming the coaching responsibilities on November 9.
Torchetti scored 42 points (16g-26a) in 30 regular season games and helped
the Carolina Thunderbirds win the inaugural ECHL Championship scoring 10
points (5g-5a) in 11 playoff games with the Carolina Thunderbirds in
1988-89. He scored 44 points (23g-21a) in 47 regular season games and one
point (1g-0a) in four playoff games with the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of
the ECHL in 1989-90. He concluded his playing career in 1990-91 scoring 41
points (19g-22a) in 47 games with Winston-Salem.
The 39-year-old Torchetti began his career behind the bench in 1992-93 as
an assistant coach with the Greensboro Monarchs. Torchetti is the fourth
ECHL coach to become a head coach in the NHL joining current Carolina head
coach Peter Laviolette; Bruce Cassidy, who coached Washington to the
Stanley Cup Playoffs as a rookie head coach in 2002-03; and Dave Allison,
who coached Ottawa for 25 games in 1995-96.
In addition to Torchetti and Laviolette, there are seven ECHL coaches in
the ECHL: Brian McCutcheon, assistant coach for Buffalo; Wayne Cashman,
assistant coach with Boston; Charlie Huddy, assistant coach with Edmonton;
Barry Smith, assistant coach with Vancouver; Don Jackson, assistant coach
with Ottawa; Jim Playfair, assistant coach with Calgary; Peter Horachek,
assistant coach with Nashville. Jamie Kompon, who played in the ECHL from
1989-91, is the strength coach for St. Louis.
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