« Hockey 2015-16

Luke Juha

School
Penn State
Position
Defenseman
Major
Finance

Classroom

Luke Juha is an excellent student and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2013-14, 2015-16) who is majoring in finance.

Character

Prior to this season, Juha’s peers named him an alternate captain. A player who battles, Juha plays larger than his size and has fought back from multiple injuries in the past (spleen injury as a freshman, 10 games missed as a sophomore, and 11 games missed as a junior).

Community

Juha is active in his community as a member of the Penn State Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) and Penn State Dance Marathon (THON). He serves as the men’s hockey contact on the SAAB and is the team liaison for THON, which is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. THON raises over $14 million per year for pediatric cancer research and awareness. Juha is also active in the team’s other civic events such as the learn to skate and learn to play hockey programs, youth skates with the Penn State team and visits to local schools.

Competition

Juha is Penn State’s all-time leading defenseman scorer. Through 91 games played, Juha had 10 goals, 40 assists and 50 points, while boasting a +15 plus-minus rating, which ranks second all-time in program history. His senior season is shaping up to be the best as Juha was one point shy (14) of his career high (15) with at least 13 games to play. Additionally, he has a team best +17 plus-minus rating. 

Last season, Juha earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for his 14-point season from the blue line. His sophomore season is the best to date with 26 games played, four goals scored, 11 assists and a career-high 15 points. In his injury-shortened freshman campaign, Juha played 19 games and had one goal and six assists.