[1] The Kerdiles family moved frequently due to his father's job in medical equipment sales before settling in Irvine, California, where Nicolas began playing roller hockey.

[7] The following year, he led Team USA with 4 goals and 9 points in 6 games and captured another gold medal in the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships.

[14][15] On April 5, 2014, Kerdiles forfeited his final two seasons of college hockey eligibility to sign a three-year entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

[10] He made his professional debut with the Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, during the 2014 Calder Cup playoffs.

[17] On February 22, 2017, he made his NHL debut in a 5–3 victory against the Boston Bruins, becoming the first player raised in Orange County to play for the Anaheim Ducks.

[17] As an impending restricted free agent, Kerdiles was traded by the Ducks to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Chase De Leo on June 30, 2018.

[30][31][32] A subsequent autoposy report showed Kerdile's blood alcohol concentration was above Tennessee's legal limit of 0.08 at the time of the crash.