Come celebrate the life and legacy of Jim O’Neill, founder of STARskaters and Houston Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2025 inductee as the Houston Hellhounds reestablish the STARskaters 3v3  Draft Tournament.

As part of the event, the STARskaters Houston Hellhounds will play 2 exhibition games against the Dallas Sled Stars.

Created in 2008, Jim O’ Neill’s vision for STARskaters was to provide an inclusive on-ice experience for people via two programs – Skate Therapy for stand-up skating instruction for individuals with a broad range of physical and developmental disabilities and Sled Hockey, providing opportunities to learn and compete in the adaptive sport. The Houston Hellhounds Sled Hockey team has competed in many Texas and national tournaments and contributed players to both the Men’s and Women’s Team USA national programs.

The STARskaters Houston Hellhounds recently teamed with the Dallas Sled Stars to compete in the USA Hockey Sled National Championships in Tier 4 and Tier 6, with the Tier 4 team bringing home the crown, thanks in large part to the contributions of the Houston players from the STARskaters program.

Jim O’Neill was passionate about hockey in all forms, as a player, referee, broadcaster, coach, and organizer. Above all, he wanted everyone to enjoy it as much as he did; understanding that the game is not so much about winning and losing but about sharing time with friends and family and experiencing the pure joy of racing around the ice with a puck and a stick or two. Possibly his greatest talent was making every single person feel special and welcome, even if he was wearing stripes and escorting them to the penalty box at the time.

Jim and his wife, Lilia, worked tirelessly to grow the STARskaters program both with outreach endeavors to recruit more participants and in fundraising efforts like the STARskaters 3v3 Tournament, run every year until Jim’s passing in 2021.

We are very pleased to bring back the STARskaters 3v3 tournament for 2026 in Jim’s honor and add two exhibition sled hockey games between the Houston Hellhounds and the Dallas Sled Stars. Hosted at Bellerive Ice Rink on Saturday, July 18, this will be an all-day event celebrating Jim and his program and the athletes who carry on his legacy of inclusivity, positivity, and the pure joy of hockey.

We look forward to hosting the 1st Annual Jim O’Neill Memorial STARskaters 3v3 Tournament, welcoming back the players who participated year after year and new players who want to join the fun and support their local Hellhounds!

We will be offering the following four divisions in the 3v3 Tournament:

• Old Sh#&’s – in the spirit of the leagues Jim played in on Thursdays and Sundays at Sugar Land Ice Center, this will be 40 & up, spirited but good natured.
• Women’s – all women, all skill levels, all ages 18+.
•  Adult Novice – For adult players 18+ who are more interested in having a good time than showing off their mad hockey skills.
•  Adult Recreational – For adult players 18+ who also like having a good time but with a little higher level of competition.

3v3 INFORMATION:

• Individual skaters select a Division and sign up for an $85 entry fee.
• Each Division will draft four even teams of five skaters for maximum fun.
• Four 15-minute games guaranteed for all divisions.
• Goalies register for $50 – four per time block – and play two games for each division in the block.
• Stand-up players are encouraged to watch and cheer on your Hellhounds in their two exhibition
  sled hockey games!

3v3 TIMES:
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Old Sh#&’s Division on the Saint Arnold Rink
Women’s Division on the Frost Town Rink

2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Adult Novice Division on the Saint Arnold Rink
Adult Recreational Division on the Frost Town Rink

SLED HOCKEY TIMES:
1:15 p.m. –  Houston Hellhounds vs. Dallas Sled Stars Game 1
5:40 p.m. –  Houston Hellhounds vs. Dallas Sled Stars Game 2

OTHER DETAILS:

• Beverages! Both Saint Arnold Brewing Co. and Frost Town Brewing are generously contributing their delicious beverages to the event.
• Non-alcoholic beverages
• Snacks
• Tournament t-shirt
• Raffle prizes
• Sled Hockey display where you can learn more about this exciting Paralympic sport!

Join us for a day of friendship, laughs, story telling, food, and hockey with net proceeds going to the StarSkaters Houston HellHounds, while honoring Jim!

Questions? Contact StarSkaters3v3@gmail.com