STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna, a freshman center and the presumptive top pick in this summer's NHL draft, has been charged with felony assault for allegedly breaking a man's jaw and knocking out a tooth in an altercation last weekend.
McKenna twice punched the 21-year-old man in the face, requiring him to undergo surgery and have his jaw wired shut, according to a State College Police news release and the police affidavit.
The incident happened in the hours after Penn State lost to No. 2 Michigan State in an outdoor game at Beaver Stadium, home of the Nittany Lions football team.
McKenna was also charged with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to court documents. His representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. No lawyer is listed for him in court records.
McKenna was arraigned and released on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11.
McKenna, who is from Whitehorse, Yukon, has 11 goals and 21 assists in 24 games this season for the Nittany Lions. He decided to play for Penn State after the NCAA lifted its ban on Canadian Hockey League players competing at the Division I level.
A name, image and likeness deal with the Nittany Lions helped sway McKenna to join a program that has been at the Division I level for less than 15 years.
McKenna recently had four goals and six assists at the World Junior Championships while helping Canada to a bronze medal.
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FILE - Canada forward Gavin McKenna (9) controls the puck during the second period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship bronze medal game against Finland, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
March 27 - April 2, 2026
People around Latin America and the Caribbean marked Holy Week with colorful processions and other traditional displays.
The 69 members of the security forces who died in a military plane crash in Colombia were honored in a solemn ceremony in Bogota.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docked in the Gulf of Panama.
Bolivia experienced heartbreak as the World Cup qualifying matches ended.
This gallery was curated by photo editor Anita Baca, based in Mexico City.
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FILE - A raccoon is silhouetted against a rising pink moon in the night sky of Panama City, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
FILE - A quinceanera rides in a vintage car marking her 15th birthday celebration in Havana, Cuba, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)
FILE - Yuneisy Riviaux helps her daughter Edianet with her homework at their home in Havana, Cuba, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)
FILE - A supporter of Popular Renewal presidential candidate Rafael López Aliaga, who has embraced the name nickname “Porky”, leans a against a wall alongside his “Porky” costume, in Lima, Peru, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)
FILE - A dead tree stands out amid a lush green section of the Caxiuana National Forest that is used as a control plot for an experiment on drought run by the Esecaflor project in Para state, Brazil, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)
FILE - A "gaucho," or cowboy, rides a horse during the Criolla Week rodeo festival, an annual festival held during Holy Week, in Montevideo, Uruguay, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File)
FILE - Inmates sleep outdoors due to lack of indoor space at the Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)
FILE - A Bolivian fans wipes away tears after his country's team loss to Iraq in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match, in La Paz, Bolivia, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
FILE - Photos of soldiers who died on a military cargo plane that crashed in Puerto Leguizamo, are arranged on the steps of an altar before the start of a memorial Mass at a military base church in Bogota, Colombia, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
FILE - A worker points to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docking in the Gulf of Panama, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
FILE - People walk with decorated bird cages during an annual pilgrimage of bird vendors to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)
FILE - Catholic children representing angels pose for photos prior to joining the Palm Sunday commemoration in Santa Cruz Chinautla, Guatemala, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)
