Nic Kerdiles, the Anaheim Ducks forward who beat the odds and became the hockey franchise’s first local player, died Saturday from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident in Nashville. He was 29.
Metro Nashville police responded to a crash at 3:30 a.m. ET. Kerdiles allegedly ran a stop sign and hit the driver’s side of an SUV, according to WSMV-TV. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
“We’re heartbroken to hear the news about Nic Kerdiles, who died in a motorcycle accident this morning,” said a statement from the Ducks team. “An Irvine native, Nic became the first player from Orange County to play for the Ducks in 2017. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones.”
Kerdiles and his family moved to California when he was a child. He played Division I hockey at Wisconsin.totaling 26 goals and 55 assists for the Badgers.
The Ducks selected Kerdiles with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. Kerdiles made his NHL debut in 2017, playing in one regular season game with the team and four playoff games that year, tallying one assist as the Ducks made their run to the Western Conference Finals.
The following season, Kerdiles saw action in two games with the Ducks but spent most of the season with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
He was engaged for a few years to reality TV star Savannah Crisley.
No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.