STATE COLLEGE — A police affidavit about the arrest of top National Hockey League prospect Gavin McKenna says he was allegedly caught on video punching a man twice in the face, resulting in surgery for a fractured jaw that needed to be wired shut.
McKenna faces charges from the alleged confrontation on Jan. 31 of aggravated and simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct in State College, Pa., where he is a member of Pennsylvania State University men’s hockey team.
The police complaint filed on Wednesday says McKenna allegedly “engaged in a physical altercation by punching another male in the face twice, which caused serious bodily injury.”
The 18-year-old from Whitehorse is widely considered a top-two prospect for the upcoming NHL entry draft this summer.
The complaint includes the affidavit sworn by a patrolling officer for the State College Police Department who says the alleged victim had “fractures to both sides of his jaw” and a missing tooth, as well as difficulty talking.
The affidavit says two friends with the man identified McKenna, and the officer later saw him on street camera video of the incident throwing two punches near the entrance of a parking garage, causing the other man to stumble backwards.
The officer says McKenna was wearing “a white backwards hat, puffer jacket, jeans and white sneakers,” and the officer located blood on the ground outside the garage.
This is McKenna’s first season at Pennsylvania State after previously playing with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League.
In 24 games this year, he has 11 goals and 21 assists along with 34 penalty minutes, and also recorded four goals and 10 assists in seven games played in this year’s IIHF World Junior U-20 tournament in Minnesota.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026.
The Canadian Press
