Man of the Week: Bobby Nardella

KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Bobby Nardella. The Torpedo defenseman had a striking start of his KHL career and was one of the best for the Nizhny Novgorod side, who won four games in a row in a successful kickstart of the 2025-2026 campaign.

There’s always something electric about watching a player hit his stride early in a new league. After a brief adaptation phase, Nardella began his KHL career in style: in his first four KHL matches, he’s already recorded four assists, two in each of the last two games (versus Lada and Spartak), showing both vision and poise. For a defenseman making a jump to the KHL, those are not just solid numbers—they’re an announcement.

Early years

Born April 22, 1996, in Rosemont, Illinois, USA, Bobby Nardella came up in the U.S. junior systems, including the USHL, before moving on to four strong years with Notre Dame in the NCAA. With the Fighting Irish, he developed into one of the program’s most reliable offensive defensemen. From 2015–2019, he played 147 games, scoring 24 goals and 103 points—an average of nearly 0.70 points per game. In his senior year, he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

Undrafted, he signed with the Washington Capitals organization in 2019 and joined their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. It was there that Nardella proved he could bring the same consistency against professional competition. Across several seasons with Hershey, he appeared in 137 games, tallying 13 goals and 79 points, again showing he could drive offense from the blue line while holding his own defensively. His biggest moment in North America came in 2023, when he was part of the Hershey Bears squad that captured the Calder Cup, the AHL’s ultimate prize.

Moving to Europe

Nardella also spent several seasons overseas. His first stop was Sweden, where he joined Djurgardens IF in the SHL for the 2020–2021 campaign. Although that season was shortened and unusual due to the pandemic, he quickly adapted to the larger European ice surface and faster transition game. In 47 games, he posted 7 goals and 33 points, a remarkable total that ranked him among the league’s most productive defensemen.

Nardella’s performance in Stockholm caught the attention of other European clubs, and he next moved to HV71, also in Sweden. Across two seasons there, he remained a steady contributor from the blue line, putting up 11 goals and 62 points in 97 appearances. Nardella then spent a season in Switzerland with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the National League, turning in 32 games with 6 goals and 13 assists (19 points) — about 0.59 points per game — while continuing to show low penalty minutes and strong transitional play.

Bloodlines

A lot of times, you don’t get into NHL or professional hockey without some stories in the family. Bobby is the son of Bob Nardella, a former Italian-American defenseman who played for the Chicago Wolves (AHL/IHL), Alleghe and Milan in Italy, Adler Mannheim in Germany, among others, and represented Italy internationally, including twice at the Olympic Games. Nardella’s brother, Nicholas, is a professional player too, now in his second year in Italy after paying his dues in the ECHL after a collegiate career with Michigan Tech.

Move to the KHL and looking forward

Nardella’s jump to the KHL has been as smooth as Torpedo fans could have hoped. After a brief adjustment period, the American blueliner has already tallied four assists in his first four games, including back-to-back two-assist performances against Lada and Spartak. His ability to quarterback the power play and find seams through traffic has been evident right from the start, giving Torpedo an extra offensive dimension from the back end. The club currently sits atop the KHL standings, and Nardella’s seamless integration has been a key storyline in their early success. As the season unfolds, his early play suggests he will be an indispensable part of Torpedo’s push to remain among the league’s elite.