Not only is he a standout hockey player at Neumann University, earning multiple academic accolades, but he is also a rising social media influencer who connects with and inspires the hockey community worldwide.
Luke Croucher is a senior student-athlete from Canada who has built an impressive resume on and off the ice.
Coming from Canada, Croucher’s love for hockey is deeply rooted in his upbringing, but his path to Neumann University was driven by more than just his athletic talent.
He also developed a passion for helping others along the way.
“There wasn’t really a point in time where I thought, ‘I want to be a social media creator.’ It was more of me thinking, ‘I think I can help.’ Maybe it’s not college-level players, but younger hockey players,” he said.
But that desire to give back did lead Croucher to establish himself as a social media influencer.
With 40.3k followers on TikTok, 24.7k on Instagram (@lukecrocha), and 5.1k on his secondary account (@myhockeytraining).
A role that does not require a specific follower count but typically ranges from a few thousand to several million followers. Croucher falls under the “micro-influencer” category, which typically consists of creators with 3,000 to 100,000 followers, but is a lot more than most of us.
Croucher’s content mainly revolves around hockey training, workouts, drills, and meal prep. His goal is to offer valuable resources for free, aiming to help other athletes improve their game.
“No one was putting out simple exercise tutorials. I just thought, ‘Why not?’ it was a fun way of doing something helpful,” he said.
One of his most popular forms of content is his “Day in the Life” videos on YouTube, where he documents his daily routines.
These videos have gained a large number of views, ranging from 14k to 73k per video.
“Time management is crucial,” he admits. “Creating content takes hours of work, especially when you’re trying to balance it with being a full-time student-athlete.”
Despite the grind, Croucher is not in it for fame or fortune. In fact, as a Canadian creator, he does not earn money from his TikTok content.
“Honestly, I was never in it for the rewards. I still make TikTok’s to this day without getting paid,” he explains. “My goal is more about helping someone get to a better level than I got to. It’s about creating real, useful content for those who are on a similar path.”
What sets Croucher apart is his commitment to authenticity. He often mentions that going viral is not his ultimate goal.
“It’s hard to quantify what makes the most impact. Something might go viral, but that doesn’t necessarily mean someone is going to take action,” he said.
Instead, his focus is on growing a strong, engaged community. “It’s more impactful for me to start thinking about my future, building a community around hockey training rather than just chasing viral videos.”
This down-to-earth approach makes him popular with teammates and friends too.
“Luke is an awesome roommate and teammate. He is a fun, energetic guy, and always fun to be around. Watching the time and dedication that he puts into content making is extremely impressive. I’ve never seen anyone more dedicated and disciplined. He is an excellent role model for his followers,” said his teammate JD Speer.
On the ice, Croucher has earned his place as a key player for Neumann’s hockey team.
His academic accolades include multiple UCHC All-Academic honors and a CSC Academic All-District award among others.
Looking forward, Croucher hopes to continue playing hockey after graduation, potentially overseas.
However, his plans also include expanding his influence within the hockey training world.
“I’d like to play in Europe for a couple of years, but regardless of where life takes me, I’ll still continue to do content whether people like it or not,” he said.
As Croucher embarks on his final year at Neumann University, he has learned to strike a balance between enjoying his senior season and growing his online presence.
“Now that I’ve learned the skill of doing social media, I kind of know what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “It almost buys me more time to enjoy and be more present in my senior year… social media is going to be around forever but being a college hockey player is finite.”
