Former NHL player Nicolas Kerdiles dies after a motorcycle crash in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former NHL player Nicolas Kerdiles died Saturday after a motorcycle crash in Nashville, according to police. He was 29.

The one-time hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks drove his motorcycle through a stop sign early Saturday and hit the driver’s side of an SUV, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. The SUV’s driver immediately stopped, and there were no signs of impairment in either driver, police added.

Kerdiles died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Police don’t anticipate any charges in the crash.

The Ducks drafted Kerdiles in 2012 and he spent two seasons with the team, appearing in three games combined in the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 seasons. He was traded in 2018 to the Winnipeg Jets and played for the Manitoba Moose in the minor leagues. More recently, he had worked in real estate in Nashville.

“We’re heartbroken to hear the news about Nic Kerdiles,” the Ducks posted on social media Saturday. “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.”

USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport, posted on social media that it was “heartbroken” to hear about Kerdiles’ death. The organization noted that Kerdiles helped Team USA’s under-18 squad win two gold medals at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s U18 World Championship.

He played in college for the University of Wisconsin, whose hockey program also mourned Kerdiles on social media, posting about his “great spirit as part of our Badger family.”

Kerdiles was once engaged to Savannah Chrisley, who is known for starring on the TV show, “Chrisley Knows Best.” The couple split in 2020. Chrisley posted on social media about Kerdiles’ death on Saturday, saying, “I miss you and I love you.”

“We loved hard … and I can’t wait to ride bikes along the beaches of heaven with you one day,” Chrisley posted.