Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna will have his felony aggravated assault charge dropped, the Central County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
McKenna, the consensus first overall pick in 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 while the aggravated assault charge was dropped, which could have earned McKenna a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison under Pennsylvania state law, the prosecution will continue with the misdemeanor simple assault and other summary charges “as they relate to the serious injuries sustained by the victim.” McKenna has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
The police complaint alleged that McKenna punched a man twice on the right side of the face after an exchange of words between the man's group and a group of people with McKenna, who had attended “a hockey event” at Doggie's Pub after the Beaver Stadium game.
The complaint further alleged that the man suffered fractures to both sides of his jaw, which would require surgery, and that he was missing a tooth. But a follow-up by State College police confirmed that the man suffered two fractures on one side of his jaw and did not find any missing teeth. The man underwent surgery and is recovering.
McKenna, 18, was initially charged with felony first-degree aggravated assault, which is defined as “attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causing injury with extreme indifference”; misdemeanor simple assault; and two summary counts of disorderly conduct by harassment and engaging in a fight.
According to the District Attorney's Office, establishing probable cause for a felony aggravated assault charge meant establishing that McKenna “acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or acted recklessly under circumstances that showed extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
Based on a review of video footage taken from the pub and street cameras, both the District Attorney's Office and the State College Police Department do not believe the evidence supports an aggravated assault charge.
The Prosecutor's Office said it will drop the felony charge and correct the record regarding the injuries the man suffered.
The Penn State men's hockey program said it would not comment on an ongoing legal matter. The NHL told ESPN earlier this week that it is aware of the charges against McKenna but had no comment as he is not yet a player in the league.
McKenna, a high-scoring Canadian winger, shocked the hockey world last year by opting to leave Canadian junior hockey for the Penn State men's hockey program. In 2024, the NCAA ruled that Canadian youth players were now eligible to play on Division I teams, ending a decades-long policy that had youth athletes choose between the CHL and college hockey. McKenna was one of the first Canadian junior players to make the jump to the NCAA. His NIL money to attend Penn State is “in the ballpark” of $700,000, a source told ESPN at the time.
