Lincoln Stars

What Lincoln Stars does

Lincoln Stars is a privately-held Tier I junior ice hockey franchise operating in the United States Hockey League (USHL), the only Tier I junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey. Founded in 1996 and operated under the legal entity Star City Hockey LLC, the team plays a 62-game USHL Western Conference schedule (30 home dates) out of the 4,300-seat Ice Box arena on Innovation Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska, adjacent to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The franchise has won two Clark Cup playoff championships (1997, 2003) and three Anderson Cup regular season titles (2000, 2001, 2003), and has produced 100+ NCAA alumni and multiple NHL players including David Backes, Brandon Bollig, and Ryan Dzingel.

The business model is a multi-revenue-stream live entertainment operation. Primary revenue comes from ticket sales (single-game, season ticket '7th Star' members, group outings, college discount at $10/ticket, and corporate packages) distributed through the Vivenu ticketing platform and the on-site box office. Secondary streams include a portfolio of 40+ local and regional corporate sponsorships (BMW, Pepsi, Freddy's, Culligan, Raising Cane's and others), merchandise sold through a Shopify storefront, Ice Box venue rental for events, and donations channeled through the Lincoln Stars Foundation to support youth hockey access and a clean water mission with Food for the Hungry.

The organization extends its footprint through a youth development ecosystem that includes the Lincoln Stars AAA program, an annual Main Camp tryout, a Billeting Program placing players aged 16-20 with host families at a $400/month stipend, a Railyard Rink outdoor seasonal facility, and a partnership with the Lincoln Ice Hockey Association. Operations are supported by a small staff of 11-50, a long-tenured hockey operations group led by General Manager Nick Fabrizio (6th season) and Athletic Trainer Corey Courtney (27th season), and a recently restructured 2026-27 coaching staff under new Head Coach Artt Brey with former NHLer Curtis Brown as VP of Hockey Operations.

Name

Lincoln Stars

Legal name

Star City Hockey LLC

Website

https://lincolnstars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lincoln Stars is a privately-held USHL Tier I junior hockey franchise in Lincoln, Nebraska, operating the 4,300-seat Ice Box arena, running a 62-game season, and serving fans, local corporate sponsors, and 16-20-year-old players pursuing NCAA and professional hockey careers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Junior Ice Hockey Team / Live Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Hockey Leagues (MPAKAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ice Rinks & Winter Sports Facilities (MPAKAEAG), Team & League Branded Merchandise Retail (Non-Apparel) (CRAMAOAF), Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Junior ice hockey
• USHL hockey team
• Live sports entertainment
• Season ticket memberships
• Corporate sponsorship packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from single-game tickets, season tickets (7th Star Members), group outings, corporate packages, and college discount tickets sold through vivenu.com platform
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from local businesses including BMW, Pepsi, Freddys, Culligan, and numerous other regional sponsors
3. Foundation Donations: Lincoln Stars Foundation accepts donations for clean water initiatives and community access programs
4. Venue Rental: Ice Box arena rental for events including weddings, practices, reunions, parties, banquets, car shows, and roller derby
5. Merchandise Sales: Stars Shop sells merchandise through Face-Off Store on Shopify platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lincoln Stars operate a Tier I USHL junior ice hockey franchise, fielding a competitive team of 16-20-year-old players in a 62-game regular season at the 4,300-seat Ice Box arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. The core product is live hockey entertainment sold through season ticket memberships (7th Star Members), single-game and promo night tickets, group outings, and corporate hospitality packages, with revenue further generated through corporate sponsorships, team merchandise, Ice Box venue rental, foundation donations, and supporting youth hockey and billet programs.

Product overview

The Lincoln Stars operate as a Tier I USHL junior hockey organization offering a unified portfolio centered on live hockey entertainment. The core product is Men's Ice Hockey (USHL) featuring approximately 62 regular season games annually at the 4,300-seat Ice Box arena. Supporting products include the 7th Star Season Ticket Membership (premium ticket package), single-game tickets with promo nights and college discounts, group/corporate outing packages, and venue rental services. The organization extends its reach through Lincoln Stars AAA youth hockey, a Main Camp player tryout program, and the Billeting Program housing players with local families. Community engagement products include the Stars Foundation (clean water and hockey access mission), the Railyard Rink outdoor facility, the Stars Shop e-commerce store, and the Outside the Box Coaches Show radio program. All offerings are coordinated under unified team branding and ticketing infrastructure (Vivenu, Mixlr for audio, FloHockey for video streaming).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lincoln Stars AAA: Youth hockey development program operating under the Lincoln Stars organization.
• Lincoln Stars Foundation

Products and services

• Lincoln Stars USHL Junior Ice Hockey Team
• 7th Star Season Ticket Membership
• Single-Game Tickets

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 former players represented their schools at 2026 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NHLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NHL logo appears on the Lincoln Stars website indicating official partnership between the USHL and NHL. The USHL has been the leader among production at the NHL Draft for years with five-straight drafts of 50+ selections and tied its record with 57 selections at the 2022 NHL Draft.
• USA HockeycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSA Hockey logo appears on the Lincoln Stars website as official partner. USA Hockey requires background screenings for all billet families and is the governing body for amateur hockey development that USHL operates under.
• United States Hockey League (USHL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLincoln Stars are a member club of the USHL, the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league. The league vision is to be the leading amateur athlete development league in the world, with more than 800 alumni playing NCAA Division I hockey each season.
• FloSports/FloHockeycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial streaming partner for Lincoln Stars games. Games broadcast live on FloHockey platform (flohockey.tv/teams/7940438-lincoln-stars) as part of USHL's streaming partnership.
• MixlrminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAudio streaming partner for Lincoln Stars game broadcasts. Fans can listen to games on lincoln-stars.mixlr.com.
• Food for the HungryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLincoln Stars Foundation partners with Food for the Hungry for clean water initiatives globally. The foundation's global mission is to utilize their platform to end the world water crisis through building wells and clean water solutions.
• University of Nebraska-LincolnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ice Box arena is located on Innovation Campus adjacent to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Parking is subject to UNL regulations and the venue benefits from campus proximity.
• 93.7FM The TicketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal radio partner broadcasting the 'Outside the Box' Lincoln Stars Coaches Show every Tuesday 4-5pm. Hosted by head coach and team broadcaster.
• VivenucoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary ticketing platform for Lincoln Stars ticket sales including single-game tickets, season tickets, group sales, and promotional event tickets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Omaha Lancers: USHL Tier I franchise also headquartered in Nebraska, sitting in Lincoln Stars' Western Conference. Operates an identical business model (junior hockey, season tickets, corporate sponsorship, venue rental) with direct intra-state competition for fan share, recruits, and corporate sponsors.
• Fargo Force: USHL Tier I franchise in the Western Conference sharing the same 62-game schedule, broadcast partnership, and NCAA/NHL development positioning. Comparable staff size and venue-scale economics.
• Des Moines Buccaneers: Western Conference USHL Tier I club with the same league governance, broadcast deal, and 30-home-game revenue cadence. Closely comparable in market tier, headcount, and youth-development mission.
• Green Bay Gamblers: Eastern Conference USHL Tier I club that is one of Lincoln Stars' competitor franchises for top NCAA recruits and NHL-draft-eligible talent; operates a similar venue-rental and merchandise revenue mix.
• Cedar Rapids RoughRiders: Eastern Conference USHL Tier I junior team with the same competitive structure (Clark Cup), ticketing architecture, and partner set. Useful as out-of-conference peer for league-average revenue and attendance benchmarking.
• Tri-City Storm: Western Conference USHL Tier I junior team operating the same season-ticket and corporate-sponsorship model in a similarly sized Midwest metro as Lincoln. Direct comparable for unit economics of USHL mid-market franchises.
• Sioux Falls Stampede: Western Conference USHL Tier I club with comparable roster size, ticket offering, and corporate sponsorship structure. Markets similar Triple-A-style entertainment product in a mid-sized Midwest city, making it the cleanest comparable for ticket and sponsorship economics.
• Waterloo Black Hawks: USHL Tier I franchise operating the same development-to-NCAA pipeline, ticket subscription model, and group/corporate-outing revenue structure; long-tenured Iowa-based franchise sharing the Western Conference schedule.
• Dubuque Fighting Saints: USHL Tier I junior hockey franchise in the same Western Conference that competes head-to-head with Lincoln Stars across the 62-game schedule and shares the same development-to-NCAA/NHL model, sponsorship economics, and league-driven FloHockey broadcast relationship.

Broad incumbents

• United States Hockey League (USHL): The 16-team Tier I governing body and league-level partner that Lincoln Stars competes within. Sets the league's broadcast deal (FloSports), NCAA/NHL alignment, and player-development standards that frame every franchise's economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lincolnstars
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/LincolnStars
• Facebookfacebook.com/LincolnStars
• Instagraminstagram.com/officiallincolnstars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lincoln-stars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lincoln Stars