CHN Staff Report
Gavin McKenna, Penn State’s freshman phenom and favorite to be No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, has been charged with felony assault and three other charges following an incident near campus Saturday.
According to a police report, McKenna was charged with “Aggravated assault – attempts to cause SBI (serious bodily injury)Â or causes injury with extreme indifference,” which is a first class felony. He was also charged with “simple assault,” a second class misdemeanor, plus “harassment – subject other to physical contact” and “disorderly conduct engage in fighting,” both of which are summary offenses, i.e. minor violations.
A Penn State spokesperson said, “We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment.”
In a statement, State College police said the incident took place at 8:45 p.m. Saturday in downtown State College. Earlier in the day, Penn State played an outdoor game at Beaver Stadium against Michigan State in front of 75,000 people.
It’s alleged that McKenna struck a 21-year old male in the face, resulting in injuries that required corrective surgery.
McKenna has been released on $20,000 bail, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 11.
The incident, police said, was caught on surveillance cameras, and allegedly shows McKenna throwing two punches.
According to sources, the incident took outside of a bar/pizza place called Doggie’s Pub. The team was there, with family, in a private room, having a party after the game. According to one source, another man was verbally harassing McKenna or a member of his family. After not stopping, the source said, McKenna got into it with the other man outside, and during a fight, threw a punch that broke the victim’s jaw.
The freshman winger came to Penn State amid much fanfare, from the Western Hockey League, where he he scored over two points per game. He signed an NIL deal over the summer that is believed to be worth over $700,000, the highest of any known college hockey player.
In 24Â games this season, McKenna is tied for the team lead in points with 32.
Penn State is off this weekend. Its next scheduled game is Feb. 13 at Michigan.
CHN will post further details as we get them.