Nicolas Kerdiles was a great story when he was drafted by the Ducks … five years ago. Born in Texas and raised in Irvine, he was the first Orange County-raised player drafted by the franchise.
But his path to the NHL was blocked by a backlog of young forwards in Anaheim’s system, coupled with a concussion history, the latest in a rookie game in September that set him back further.
Kerdiles kept at it, though, and was called up Wednesday to make his NHL debut at 23, against the Boston Bruins at Honda Center, where Kerdiles attended games as a kid.