Penn State men’s hockey star Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, has been charged with felony assault stemming from a bar fight over the weekend.
Court records obtained by the Daily Mail reveal McKenna has been charged with first-degree felony ‘aggravated assault – attempts to cause SBI [serious bodily injury] or causes injury with extreme indifference.’
He has also been charged with misdemeanor simple assault, summary ‘harassment – subject other to physical contact’, and summary ‘disorderly conduct engage in fighting.’
If found guilty, McKenna could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the felony assault charge alone. Combined with the misdemeanor simple assault charge, he could be sentenced to 22 years in prison.
The Daily Mail has contacted Penn State athletics for comment on this matter.
McKenna was at the bar Doggie’s Pub in downtown State College with friends following an outdoor game against Michigan State, according to student news website Onward State.
Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna has been charged with felony aggravated assault
Reports indicate an individual unrelated to the hockey team began harassing McKenna’s family
The website reports that McKenna allegedly assaulted an unidentified individual, giving them a broken jaw.
The incident which led to McKenna throwing a punch has not been officially confirmed.
However, multiple reports indicate that the Penn State hockey team was in a private room at the bar when a person unrelated to the team began verbally harassing a member of McKenna’s family.
The person who was punched has not yet been identified publicly. McKenna is currently awaiting a preliminary hearing.
The 18-year-old native of Whitehorse, Yukon has long been pegged as the top overall prospect for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft despite a slow start to his time in ‘Happy Valley’.
But recent games have seen him break into a strong run of form as he’s scored seven goals and eleven points across the past five games.
He’s tallied eleven goals and 32 points in 24 games played for the Nittany Lions this season.
McKenna also recently led Team Canada to a bronze medal finish at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.
McKenna recently helped Team Canada win a bronze medal at the 2026 World Juniors
His pivot to playing at Penn State comes after the NCAA instituted a rule change allowing athletes competing in the three Canadian major junior leagues – the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – to play Division I college hockey.
In his last season playing for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, McKenna tallied 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games.
In the playoffs, he totaled nine goals and 38 points to win the WHL Championship.
He scored Medicine Hat’s lone goal in a 4-1 defeat to the London Knights in the championship game for the 2025 Memorial Cup.
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