Robert Esche

Robert L. Esche ( born January 22, 1978 in Utica, New York) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender who stands since June 2011 the SCL Tigers in the National League A under contract.

Career

During his time as a junior, he played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Detroit Whalers. At this time Robert was pulled from the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL Entry Draft in 1996 in the sixth round ( total number 139). He stayed a year in Detroit and then moved to Plymouth Whalers with the order.

His first appearances in the NHL he made at the Phoenix Coyotes in the 1998/99 season, but most of the time he spent in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Falcons. The Coyotes were always other goalkeeper in front of him. Initially this was Nikolai Chabibulin, later Sean Burke was the man between the posts. Until the 2001/02 season he had fought hard to Erstatztorhüter because he was discharged together with Michal Handzuš among other goalie Brian Boucher of the Philadelphia Flyers.

In Philadelphia he won in 2003 together with his team mates Roman Cechmanek the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goalie with the fewest goals against, but they had to share by the New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur with the trophy. After Cechmaneks departure he was in the 2003/ 04 first goalkeeper of the Flyers, his former teammate, Sean Burke was one of his backups.

From the season 2005/ 06 he was the goalkeeper team at the Flyers goalie Antero Niittymaki with the Finnish. While he participated with the team in the spring of 2006 to the playoffs and it took over the position as first-choice goalkeeper, he disappointed and the Flyers in the 2006/07 season, when they finished last in the league. In addition to several injuries especially his poor performances meant that he, only the number three in the ranking was behind Niittymaki and Martin Biron, who has since been committed.

His contract was not renewed in the summer of 2007 by the Flyers and was initially found as an unrestricted free agent not a new team. In October 2007 he was engaged by Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian Super League, which thus reacted to the bad start to the season with 19 points from 17 games. Between 2008 and 2010, he was standing by the SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, founded in 2008 under contract. The 2010/11 season he spent at HK Dinamo Minsk before he was hired in June 2011 by the SCL Tigers of the National League A.

Internationally

Robert Esche took with Team USA at the Junior World Championships in 1997 and 1998, the World Championships in 2000, 2001, 2008 and 2009, the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and the 2006 Winter Olympics in part.

Awards and achievements

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