The promotional posters adorning the walls along the front entrance of HSBC Arena serve as a reminder that the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships are just around the corner.

     While the 10-team tournament, featuring a good number of talents who will someday play in NHL arenas like the home of the Buffalo Sabres, is still more than four months away, tournament officials all but declared HSBC and Niagara University's Dwyer Arena fit to host games immediately during a pair of site inspections Friday.

     The local organizing committee headed by Tom Ahern admits it does have some minor details to iron out before the 11-day tournament begins Dec. 26, but the venues that will host the 31 games and ticket sales aren't on the list.

     More than half of the 386,000 tickets available for the tournament that runs through Jan. 5 have been sold, according to Ahern. In regards to the playing facilities, especially HSBC Arena .‚.‚.

     "The rink is perfectly set up. We could already start tomorrow as long as the ice is in," said IIHF Event Director Hannes Ederer after his tour of HSBC Arena. "This rink is just built for a tremendous hockey tournament. .‚.‚. I just can't wait to see this team full for a home game of the U.S. Team. It's just such a special experience."

     USA Hockey General Manager Jim Johannson said a few of the tournament participants are expected to arrive in the area about a week before the event with Norway, Slovakia and Russia holding pre-tournament camps in Jamestown.

     The United States, the defending world-junior champion, will slowly work its way to Western New York. The team opens camp Dec. 16 in Albany and plays three tune-up games (Dec. 19 at RPI, Dec. 21 in Rochester against the Czech Republic and Dec. 23 in Jamestown against Norway) during its journey to Buffalo.

     "It's like a small Olympics," said Mike Bertsch, USA Hockey's assistant executive director for marketing. "It has that type of impact on the community."

     Bertsch said the estimated economic impact the tournament will have on the area's economy is between $50-$100 million.

     Ahern said prepping the downtown Buffalo arena was the easy part since it has hosted the NCAA men's basketball tournament multiple times along with the NCAA men's hockey Frozen Four since 2000. The big challenge: setting up prolonged stays (including meals and transportation) in the area for 10 teams. NCAA teams leave as soon as they lose, but these teams will stick around for at least four games.

     The committee still is working to set up shuttle bus services with the NFTA to get fans to hotels and area restaurants and shopping districts.

     "It's the NCAA times five with just the number of games we're going to put through here," Ahern said. "Fortunately, we've got a very talented staff that we can delegate those kinds of things to."

     The tournament is receiving a huge assist from the Buffalo Bisons, who volunteered to set up a family-friendly in-between-games venue at Coca-Cola Field for fans that will include an ice rink in the outfield, curling exhibitions, broom ball tournament, live entertainment, fireworks and a Bavarian-style pavilion featuring foods and beverages of the world.

     The IIHF did make recommendations on medical and statistic room locations and switched locations of required areas at NU as well, Ahern said. But other than that, Western New York aced its site inspection.

     "We were nervous," Ahern said. "The IIHF, this is their event. Our contract is with USA Hockey. IIHF has the last say on everything. They were very impressed with how far ahead we are on things. They were very pleased."

mrodriguez@buffnews.comnull