Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna will now not face a felony cost stemming from his involvement in an altercation that occurred at a bar in State School, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening. 

McKenna, the potential No. 1 choose within the 2026 NHL Draft, was initially charged with felony aggravated assault after an incident at Doggie’s Pub within the hours after Penn State’s out of doors sport towards Michigan State at Beaver Stadium. Nevertheless, Centre County district legal professional Bernie Cantorna wrote in an announcement Friday that the felony cost towards McKenna has been dropped following a overview of video proof and studying the extent of the person’s accidents — which weren’t as extreme as initially reported.

McKenna, 18, nonetheless faces a misdemeanor rely of easy assault and abstract offenses of harassment and disorderly conduct. He has a preliminary listening to for these prices scheduled for Feb. 11.

The grievance says the alleged sufferer “was punched twice on the correct aspect of his face” following “an alternate of phrases between the alleged sufferer’s group and the group of individuals with McKenna.” Based on the Centre Every day Occasions, the injured man was “heckling McKenna and his mom after the sport.”

The preliminary grievance alleged that the sufferer “sustained fractures to either side of his jaw,” requiring surgical procedure, and was “lacking a tooth.” Nevertheless, a police investigation decided the sufferer “sustained two fractures to 1 aspect of his jaw … and was not lacking a tooth.” The person “had surgical procedure and is recovering,” Cantorna mentioned. 

“To be able to set up possible trigger for the crime of Aggravated Assault, the Commonwealth should set up that an individual acted with the intent to trigger severe bodily harm or acted recklessly underneath circumstances exhibiting an excessive indifference to the worth of human life. Each the District Legal professional’s Workplace and the State School Police Division have reviewed video proof of this incident and don’t imagine {that a} cost of Aggravated Assault is supported by the proof,” Cantorna mentioned in a launch from the District Legal professional’s workplace. 

“Accordingly, the District Legal professional’s Workplace might be withdrawing the felony rely of Aggravated Assault and correcting the document relating to the accidents suffered by the sufferer. A overview of the video doesn’t help a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the intent to trigger severe bodily harm or with reckless indifference to the worth of human life.”

McKenna, a freshman ahead from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, has 32 factors — 11 objectives and 21 assists — in 24 video games this season for the Nittany Lions. McKenna, touted earlier than his arrival at Penn State as a possible generational prospect, had a aim and had two assists on Saturday. 

Previous to his arrival at Penn State, McKenna starred as a 17-year-old within the Western Hockey League in Canada, posting 129 factors (41 objectives, 88 assists) for the Drugs Hat Tigers in 58 common season video games, and helped make them a WHL championship. Due to an NCAA rule change, McKenna is a part of the primary class of younger Canadian stars who performed on the high junior ranges in Canada to be allowed to play school hockey in the US. 

McKenna’s standing with the Penn State hockey group is unclear. The Nittany Lions (18-8) subsequent play on the highway towards Michigan on Feb. 13.