He previously played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Phoenix Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers.

Esche started his career with the Phoenix Coyotes, only to be traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal involving Michal Handzuš and Brian Boucher.

[1] In 2004, he claimed the starting goaltending spot for the Flyers, and led them to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to fall in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

While playing in Russia for Ak Bars Kazan, he posted a record of 22–5–2 with a 2.01 goals against average (GAA) and a .912 save percentage, along with four shutouts.

On June 16, 2011, the SCL Tigers announced they had signed the 33-year-old Esche to a contract,[2] where he played 40 games, going 15-25, with a 3.05 GAA and .898 save percentage.