WILDCATS ANNOUNCE NEW HEAD COACH
“We’ve chosen a proven winner,” said Robert Irving, President of the Moncton Wildcats. “Someone who can build on the successes of our past year.”
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That someone, the Wildcats announced today, is John “Torch” Torchetti, new Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations.
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“We are very excited to welcome John to the Wildcats,” said Irving, “Given the great year that we had, we knew that we had to find someone who could keep that momentum growing in the community and within the team. It took some time but we found him.”
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The 42-year-old Boston native played seven seasons as a left winger before turning to coaching in 1994. Torchetti has twice been named Coach of the Year – first with the Central Hockey League’s San Antonio Iguanas in 1994-95, then with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League in 1997-98.
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Torchetti has said that his theme is loyalty and commitment, and understands that the fans come out to watch the players play hard every night.
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“You want the players to have the same work ethic that you’re trying to portray as the coach. You want to prepare them the best that you can every day to help the team win … It’s all about the players,” he said.
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Torchetti has ten seasons of coaching experience in the professional ranks. He was the Assistant Coach to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two seasons. He was also the Assistant Coach and Head Coach of the Florida Panthers for two seasons before the 2004-2005 NHL lockout.
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His most recent stint was with the Los Angeles Kings NHL Franchise, who brought him in for the last 12 games of the season. His coaching resumé also includes time in the East Coast Hockey League, Central Hockey League, International Hockey League and the American Hockey League.
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The Moncton Wildcats are the defending Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champions and the 2006 Memorial Cup runners-up. Training camp begins August 18th, with regular season games beginning September 14th at home against Acadie-Bathurst.
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TORCHETTI BACKGROUND:
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- John “Torch” Torchetti
- Born in 1964
- Native of Boston, Massachusetts
- Named HeadCoach and Director of Hockey Operations of the Moncton Wildcats on July 21st, 2006.
- Before attending New Prep School, Torchetti played in the Boston City League, where he set state scoring records -superceding the ones achieved in the late 1960s by the legendary Robbie Ftorek of Needham High School- at Jamaica Plain High School in 1983.
- Torchetti played prep school hockey for the powerful New Preparatory School of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a Post-Graduate at the age of eighteen (i.e., Grade 13) under the coaching tutelage of the regionally renowned Mike Kozack.
- Began his professional playing career in 1984 as a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League’s (ACHL) Carolina Thunderbirds. Over the next four seasons he patrolled the left wing boards for Carolina, notching a career best 63 goals and 71 assists.
- Played left wing with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Binghamton Whalers, and the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) Winston-Salem Thunderbirds.
- Throughout his eight year playing career, he enjoyed seven appearances in the finals, while capturing four championships.
- Began his coaching career in 1992 as assistant coach with the ECHL’s Greensboro Monarchs.
- Landed first head coaching position in 1994-95 when he was named Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations of the Central Hockey League’s (CHL) San Antonio Iguanas. In his first season with San Antonio he led the club to the league finals and was named CHL’s Coach of the Year. They returned to the finals in 1995-96.
- He began the 1996-97 season as the Assistant General Manager and Assistant Coach for the International Hockey League’s (IHL) San Antonio dragons but departed halfway through the season for a head coaching position with the CHL’s Fort Wayne Komets. He turned around the last place club and guided the Komets to a 37-point turnaround the following season and the Central Division Crown.
- After Fort Wayne, he served as General Manager of the IHL’s Detroit Vipers, guiding the team to a 50-21-11 mark and the Easter Conference Championship.
- Became part of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization as Assistant Coach in from 1999-2001, before being named the Lightning’s Assistant Scouting Director for the 2001-02 season.
- Coached the Florida Panthers for two seasons from 2002 to 2004.
- Spent the last 12 games of the 2005-2006 season as Interim Head Coach with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings franchise.
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