Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, who was expected to be the top overall draft pick in the 2026 NHL draft, was charged with first-degree felony aggravated assault, stemming from an incident on Jan. 31.

McKenna, an 18-year-old Canada native, also was charged with misdemeanor simple assault and two summary counts of disorderly conduct by the Pennsylvania Magisterial District Court after what was described as a fight.

No date has been set for a preliminary hearing.

The incident referenced in the charges happened on the same day that Penn State lost to Michigan State 5-4 in overtime during an outdoor game at on-campus Beaver Stadium in front of a crowd of 74,575.

“We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment,” Penn State said in a statement.

McKenna was among the first Canadian junior hockey players to take advantage of a 2024 ruling that allowed players from the country to jump into college hockey. According to an ESPN report, McKenna is making an estimated $700,000 in NIL money.

McKenna has 11 goals and 21 assists in 26 games for the Nittany Lions this season.

–Field Level Media

With the NHL playoff race taking shape, the New York Islanders are once again in the thick of the action.

The Islanders, as expected, have been in contention all season long, but their chances continue to get better as their captain Bo Horvat continues to get into the swing of things.

Horvat, who missed more than three weeks in January due to a lower-body injury, has played in seven games since his return, leading the Islanders to a 4-3-0 record, including a massive 5-4 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday when Horvat had three points, including the game-winning goal.

The Islanders and their captain look to continue their momentum when they travel to face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday in what will be each team’s last game before the Olympic break.

“You’d like to think it was coming,” Horvat said after his production against the Devils. “You try to not think about it and do other things away from the puck that go unnoticed and eventually get rewarded for it. So, to finally get the reward, it was great.”

After the break, New York hopes reward comes with more consistency down the stretch. The Islanders are just 5-5-0 since Jan 17, but, led by Horvat’s return, the group feels it has been playing better hockey of late.

“We’ve gone through stretches and games, especially the last couple, where we’ve actually played really good hockey and just haven’t gotten the result,” Horvat said. “For us to get that result (against Pittsburgh), maybe not having our best game, definitely boosted us going into Thursday.”

What should give the Islanders even more confidence is what took place the last time the two teams met. On Jan. 6, the Devils absorbed one of their worst losses in recent memory with a 9-0 shellacking.

In that meeting, New York’s Anthony Duclair recorded a hat-trick with five points, while Casey Cizikas, Matthew Barzal and Tony DeAngelo all finished with three points.

To avoid a similar performance, the Devils will have to dig deep in what has been a challenging season. New Jersey has lost two straight and four of its last five games. The team is near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference.

“The level of urgency has got to go up. We have to go on a run. It’s as simple as that,” Devils forward Connor Brown said. “It’d be naive to not realize what type of position we are and how many points back of the playoffs we’re in. The urgency needs to get going.

“Whether the season is slipping away or not, you have to look in the eye and realize we have a big game before the break. We’ll have an opportunity to reset after that.”

No game will be bigger than Thursday for the Devils, who are nine points behind the Islanders in the Metro Division.

“We know what situation we’re in, but we’re not looking more than a day ahead,” the Devils’ Jesper Bratt said. “We know the Metro and the East has been a good (battle), and we haven’t been able to maintain a lot of wins in a row. It’s obviously frustrating. … We have one really important game until the break. That has to be our focus now and then recharge.”

–Field Level Media

Newcomer Thomas Detry launched himself into the international LIV conversation quickly by claiming a share of the first-round lead on Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during his first circuit as a member of LIV Golf.

The 33-year-old Belgian, whose most recent win came at the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open last February, became a full-time member of Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC this offseason.

Detry shot a bogey-free, 7-under-par 65 at Riyadh Golf Club to tie RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein for the lead.

“First day on the job, so a little bit of a change for me, so a bit nervous,” Detry said. “I drove it so well out there, it made my job pretty easy.”

Detry grabbed birdies on Nos. 1, 5, 6, 8, 13, 14 and 18.

Uihlein countered with an eagle on No. 13 as the pair built a one-stroke lead on the rest of the 57-man field.

The season-opening event marked LIV Golf’s switch from a 54-hole format to 72. Uihlein welcomed the addition of a fourth round.

“I’m not scared of a blowup every now and then on a hole in particular, so now I have more holes to make it up,” Uihlein said. “I think it’s going to benefit me long-term, which is nice.”

Australia’s Elvis Smylie, another rookie, found himself alone in third place with his 6-under round.

“I think there were a little bit of nerves and excitement, but I think I showed what I’m capable of today – or tonight, I should say,” Smylie said.

Six golfers are tied for fourth place at 5 under: South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, South Korea’s Byeong Hun An, Talor Gooch, England’s Tyrrell Hatton, Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz and Spain’s Jon Rahm.

Munoz’s day helped Torque GC take the team lead at 15 under. Southern Guards GC (13 under) owns second while Legion XIII (11 under) sits third.

4Aces GC (10 under) is tied for fourth.

–Field Level Media