Felony Charge Against Penn State's Gavin McKenna Dropped; DA Explains Decision

Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna no longer faces a felony charge of aggravated assault. Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said Friday that his office has dropped the most serious charge against McKenna that resulted from an alleged incident Saturday night in State College.

Cantorna told reporters at a press conference in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, that his office dropped the felony charge after reviewing video of the alleged incident. Cantorna said that McKenna, 18, of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, still faces a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and summary offenses for harassment and disorderly conduct.

The felony charge has been withdrawn, according to online court documents. A preliminary hearing still is scheduled for Feb. 11 on the remaining charges.

"Both our office and the State College Police Department have reviewed video of this incident," Cantorna said at the press conference. "Viewing that video, we have reached the conclusion it does not support the felony charge of aggravated assult. Accordingly, our office will be moving to withdraw the aggravated assault charge with the district justice and correcting the record to accurately depict the injuries suffered."

McKenna was arraigned Wednesday night and released on $20,000 unsecured bail, according to State College Police. In an affidavit of probable cause issued late Wednesday, police detailed the alleged incident that resulted in the initial charges filed against McKenna.

According to the criminal complaint, an altercation allegedly occurred in downtown State College on Saturday night, after the Penn State men's hockey team played Michigan State in a Big Ten game at Beaver Stadium.

Friends of the alleged victim, a 21-year-old male, told police that McKenna punched the victim twice in the face "following an exchange of words between them and the group of people that McKenna was with."

The alleged incident occurred at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday night outside a parking garage in downtown State College. McKenna and the group he was with had been at Doggie's Pub in State College, which hosted an event following the hockey game, police said.

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna (72) before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Beaver Stadium. | James Lang-Imagn Images

According to the complaint, police reviewed footage from State College street cameras that allegedly showed McKenna "throwing two punches at the patient's face, which caused him to stumble backwards." The alleged victim underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw and will have his jaw wired shut for two weeks, according to the criminal complaint.

"In order to prove probable cause on a charge of aggravated assault, the Commonwealth has to prove two things," Cantorna said at Friday's news conference. "We're required to prove that the defendent acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or that the defendant acted recklessly under circumstances showing extreme indifference to the value of human life.

"... Simply put, a review of the video evidence does not support a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the specific intent to cause serious bodily injury, nor that he acted with reckless indifference to the value of human life."

At Friday's news conference, Cantorna also said that his office will be "correcting the record to accurately depict the injuries suffered" by the alleged victim.

"The complaint alleges that the victim was punched twice to the right side of his face by the defendant following an exchange of words between a group of people he was with and a group of people that the defendant was with," Cantorna said. "The complaint further alleges the victim suffered fractures to both sides of his jaw and that required surgery. It also was reported [the alleged victim] was missing a tooth.

"Follow-up by State College Police has confirmed that the victim suffered two fractures. It is to one side of the face as opposed to both. He did not lose a tooth. He is out of surgery and he is recovering."

McKenna, in his first season with the Penn State hockey team, is widely regarded as the No. 1 overall prospect of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. NHL Central Scouting ranked McKenna as the No. 1 prospect among North American skaters.

The reigning CHL player of the year surprised the hockey world last year when he left the CHL to play for Penn State. He has played in 24 games for the Nittany Lions, totaling 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists). He's tied for fifth in the Big Ten in points and ranks third in assists.

McKenna had a goal and two assists in Saturday's game at Beaver Stadium, which Michigan State won 5-4 in overtime. Penn State returns to action Feb. 13 at Michigan, where it will start a two-game series against the Wolverines.

Here is the video from Cantorna's press conference, courtesy of Statecollege.com.

What happens next for Penn State? Stay on top of all the Nittany Lions news by subscribing to the Penn State on SI Daily Digest. The newsletter is your free daily window into Penn State sports.

More Penn State Sports