Nightingale began his collegiate career at Lake Superior State where he recorded six goals and nine assists in 51 games in two seasons.
[2] Following his playing career, Nightingale was named head coach of the Shattuck-Saint Mary's midget AA team in 2008, a position he held for two seasons.
[4] He served as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Spartans for four years before being named the head coach at Shattuck-Saint Mary's under-14 AAA team from 2014 to 2016.
[20] On November 9, 2024, Nightingale earned his 50th win as the head coach of the Spartans Ohio State, making him the fastest to reach 50 victories in program history, doing so in just 85 games.
[22] On May 10, 2021, he was named an assistant coach for the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and won a bronze medal.
[23] On April 6, 2022, he was named the head coach for the United States men's national under-18 ice hockey team at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships and won a silver medal.