Felony Charges Against NHL's Top Prospect Gavin McKenna Withdrawn

The Centre County District Attorney is dropping the felony aggravated assault charge against Penn State forward Gavin McKenna.

McKenna is among the top 2026 NHL Draft prospects and has been largely speculated to be the upcoming No. 1 overall selection. He was originally charged on Feb. 4 with felony aggravated assault and other counts, according to Pennsylvania Magisterial District Court documents. First-degree felony aggravated assault is defined as "attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference"; he was also charged with misdemeanor simple assault; and two summary counts of disorderly conduct for harassment and engaging in a fight. The charges were brought about following an accusation surrounding breaking a man’s jaw on Jan. 31 in downtown State College — which occurred just hours after McKenna scored a goal (in addition to posting two assists) in an eventual 5-4 overtime loss against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.

This game was an NCAA outdoor hockey game that drew almost 75,000 fans.

The maximum penalty for first-degree felony aggravated assault in Pennsylvania is 20 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine.

District DA Drops Charges Against Gavin McKenna

Per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, McKenna previously opted 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 made young athletes choose between the Canadian Hockey League and college hockey.

Rumors online did surface that McKenna's actions were in defense of his mother which is rumored to have caused the escalation of the situation.

The corresponding district attorney said a review of the video footage resulted in the dropping of the felony charge.

"Both our office and the state college policy department have reviewed video of this incident. Viewing that video, we have reached the conclusion it does not support the felony charge of aggravated assault," The Centre County District Attorney, Bernie Cantorna, said at a Feb. 6 press conference. "Accordingly, our office will be moving to withdraw the aggravated assault charge with the district justice and corrected the record to accurately depict the injury suffered. 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."

Penn State forward Gavin McKenna — Penn State's Gavin McKenna, left, answers a question during a post-game press conference following a Big Ten hockey game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on January 31, 2026, in State College. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cantorna was sworn in as Centre County District Attorney on January 2, 2018. He graduated from St. Mary's College with a degree in business management and was a certified public accountant prior to attending law school. Cantorna then graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1990.

"It is important to remember that these are charges — an accusation — not a proof of guilt. In all cases, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilt," Cantorna also said.

McKenna reportedly remains charged with a misdemeanor count of simple assault and summary offenses of harassment and disorderly conduct.

The 2026 NHL Draft will take place this June, with the lottery expected sometime in the spring. This will be the 64th NHL entry draft — with the first round being held on June 26. The New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer at No. 1 overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

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