Felony charge against top NHL prospect Gavin McKenna dropped

The Center County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that the aggravated assault charge against Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna will be dropped.

McKenna, the unanimous first overall pick in this June’s NHL draft, was charged with four counts by the State College Police Department stemming from an altercation on Jan. 31, the same day 74,575 fans watched the Penn State men’s hockey team play an outdoor game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.

The district attorney’s office said that although the aggravated assault charge has been dropped – which could have given McKenna a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison under Pennsylvania state law – the prosecution will proceed with misdemeanor simple assault and other summary charges “because they relate to the serious injuries suffered by the victim.” McKenna’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

The police complaint alleges that McKenna punched a man twice in the right side of his face after words were exchanged between that man’s group and a group of people McKenna was with who had attended “a hockey event” at Doggie’s Pub after a Beaver Stadium game.

The complaint further alleges that the man suffered fractures to both sides of his jaw, which will require surgery, and is missing a tooth. But a follow-up by State College police confirmed that the man had two fractures on one side of his jaw and no missing teeth were found. The man had surgery and is recovering.

McKenna, 18, was initially charged with first-degree felony aggravated assault, which is defined as “attempting to cause serious bodily injury or causing injury with extreme wantonness”; misdemeanor simple assault; and two summary counts of disorderly conduct for engaging in harassment and fighting.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, establishing probable cause for a felony charge of aggravated assault means establishing that McKenna “acted with intent to cause serious bodily injury or acted recklessly under circumstances showing extreme indifference to the value of human life.”

Based on a review of video footage taken from pub and street cameras, both the District Attorney’s Office and the State College Police Department do not believe that the aggravated assault charge is supported by the evidence.

The District Attorney’s Office said it is withdrawing the felony count and correcting the record regarding the man’s injuries.

Penn State’s men’s hockey program said it would not comment on the ongoing legal matter. The NHL told ESPN earlier this week it was aware of the allegations against McKenna, but had no comment because he is not yet a player in the league.

McKenna, a high-scoring winger from Canada, shocked the hockey world last year by opting to leave Canadian junior hockey for Penn State’s men’s hockey program. In 2024, the NCAA ruled that Canadian junior players were now eligible to play on Division I teams, ending a decades-old policy that required young athletes to choose between the CHL and college hockey. McKenna was one of the first Canadian juniors to make the jump to the NCAA. A source told ESPN at the time that his zero amount of money to attend Penn State was an “exorbitant” amount of $700,000.