Gavin McKenna's assault case takes a serious turn as prosecutors come to a decision

The future of hockey star Gavin McKenna was in jeopardy earlier this week, after the Penn State star was arrested and arraigned on multiple charges.

Of these charges, the most serious was felony aggravated assault, which can come with a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.

According to WJACTV, prosecutors have decided to drop the felony charge against McKenna. They determined he "did not act with the intent to cause serious bodily harm nor did he recklessly act with extreme indifference to the value of human life."

The alleged victim needed to get surgery for a fractured jaw. According to the report, McKenna allegedly punched the man twice.

The alleged altercation reportedly took place outside of an establishment called Doggie's Pub. McKenna was with a group of people when the man allegedly confronted them.

There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding the situation, with speculation mounting on social media. For now, McKenna is still looking at a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, as well as summary offenses for harassment and disorderly conduct.

For McKenna, this is good news as the heaviest charge has gone away, and he can now focus more of his attention on the NHL Draft.

Of course, this is still an unfortunate situation, and a PR disaster of sorts for a kid who is just trying to keep his nose clean and make the NHL.

McKenna has not yet commented on the situation, and we imagine he will steer clear, at least for the time being.

Whatever the case may be, we do wish the young star well during this difficult time.

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