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Put aside thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

As NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there may not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the timeline is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and concerns, expensive passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament occurs from 5-19 February.