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Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

As NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and concerns, expensive tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

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

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament runs from 5-19 February.