Gavin McKenna, a Penn State hockey player and prospect for the NHL draft, was charged with four counts of aggravated Assault Wednesday, November 6, 2025.
The alleged incident took place hours after the Penn State football team lost against the Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.
While the felony charge was dropped, prosecution will go through with a misdemeanor trial according to the DA office. Allegedly, McKenna hit a transfer in the face hard enough to require surgery for the injuries. The victim had two fractures in his jaw on one side, a fact confirmed by police statement.
But after the DA and state college police reviewed footage of the incident, the evidence did not support a charge of aggravated assault.
Even with this being downgraded for the time being, the trial has yet to happen, leaving room for more evidence to be found or surface potentially changing the result of this trial.
He has a preliminary hearing for trial and will take place tomorrow, March 11.
Could this affect his status in the NHL draft in June? Maybe, but his stats have been reviewed by hockey experts and, with McKenna being a freshman with 11 goals and 21 assists in just 24 games, this has made him desired in the eyes of most teams.
He has a chance to be the top pick in the June draft and named a Canadian generational talent. It’s important that he cooperates in trial and that it goes well with no incriminating results.
Plenty of careers have been ruined by acts of violence. Locally, the most recent is Stefan Diggs who will most likely be arrested for allegedly assaulting his private chef. Last month’s Super Bowl very well may have been the last game of his career.
Many people have ruined their careers and lost a lot of money from illegal and immoral behavior, Michael Vick got in serious trouble after admitting to being involved with dog fighting. Tom Brady lost money with the crypto incident after promoting it for a profit. Many athletes have been charged and convicted with assault and other crimes and yet they continued to play.
McKenna may have made a large mistake, but because of his talent he likely will find himself employed and wealthy because he can help a team win.
