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Nic Kerdiles, the Anaheim Ducks forward who beat the odds to become the hockey franchise’s first local player, died Saturday from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Nashville. He was 29.
Metro Nashville Police responded to a crash at 3:30 a.m. ET. According to WSMV-TV, Kerdiles allegedly ran a stop sign and hit the driver’s side of an SUV. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
“We are heartbroken to hear the news of Nic Kerdiles, who died in a motorcycle accident this morning,” the Ducks team said in a statement. “Nic is an Irvine native and was the first player from Orange County to play for the Ducks in 2017. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones.”
Kerdiles and his family moved to California when he was a child. He played Division I ice hockey at Wisconsin and totaled 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, played in one regular season game with the team and four playoff games that year, recording one assist as the Ducks reached the Western Conference Finals.
The following season, Kerdiles appeared in two games with the Ducks, but spent most of the season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.
He was engaged to reality TV star Savannah Crisley for several years.
Information about survivors or memorial plans was not immediately available.