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.