While nothing is set in stone, it seems inevitable that the NHL will have an all-Canadian division to begin the upcoming season given the nation's current border restrictions. If that's the case, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk doesn't like his team's chances.

"No," Melnyk told The Bob McCown Podcast when asked if he liked the idea of an all-Canadian division. "I'll tell you why, it's a hockey reason. This is not our year. I think we'll be competitive, but this is the year the Canadian teams are all better. Every one of them, including mine. But I'm still at the beginning of my rise up. Everybody else was good and they're getting better."

The Senators finished with the second-worst record in the NHL a year ago. Meanwhile, the other six Canadian teams all qualified for the league's expanded postseason in August.

"From a hockey point of view, it's exciting," Melnyk continued. "We would be playing a lot of Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. That's fine. We will play the other Canadian teams. That's fine. But from a pure hockey point of view it's a tough, tough, tough division. We don't get to play the weaker teams. They're all good."

In a normal regular season, the Sens would've been guaranteed four or five games against the Detroit Red Wings - the only team to finish below Ottawa in last year's standings. They also would've had four or five contests versus the Buffalo Sabres, who also failed to qualify for the expanded postseason.

The Senators added Evgeni Dadonov, Matt Murray, Austin Watson, Alex Galchenyuk, Erik Gudbranson, and Josh Brown this offseason, but the team is still in rebuilding mode and isn't projected to contend just yet.

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University of Wisconsin head coach Tony Granato isn't happy Hockey Canada is prying away one of his best players for a significant portion of the college season.

Granato is frustrated the governing body of Canadian hockey is taking Dylan Holloway - the Edmonton Oilers' first-round pick in this year's draft - for its lengthy evaluation camp ahead of the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship. The promising forward will miss the final 10 games of the NCAA campaign's first half as a result.

"They've said all along that they need and want and he has to be here," Granato told the Wisconsin State Journal's Todd D. Milewski after a victory over Notre Dame on Saturday. "So from my side of things, I don't think it's right because his opportunity here to get ready for a world junior tournament playing games like this is a heck of a lot better than scrimmaging (with) 20 of your teammates that you're going to be in the tournament with."

Holloway left the Badgers on Sunday to fly to Red Deer, Alberta, site of the 28-day camp. The tournament ultimately begins Dec. 25 in Edmonton.

By contrast, USA Hockey plans to begin gathering players around Dec. 10 and already hosted initial evaluation sessions in October, according to Milewski. Wisconsin star and Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield could be among those considered for the U.S. squad.

Holloway, a sophomore center, scored the game-winner in highlight-reel fashion Saturday after tallying in the season opener Friday. Hockey Canada cut him at its evaluation camp before the previous world junior tournament.

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The NHL has finished teasing every fan base, as previews of all 31 Reverse Retro jerseys have now been unveiled.

The project features a new design for each club that draws its inspiration from a kit the team once wore. More details will follow.

The full uniforms will be released Nov. 16, but here's an idea of what to expect from your favourite team.

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins

The infamous menacing bear's head will be featured as a shoulder patch while the Bruins embrace a dominant gold.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are sticking with the wonderful royal blue, yellow, and white color scheme while using the famed buffalo head as a shoulder patch.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit's teaser leaves much to the imagination, but it's clear the jersey will be predominantly white and extremely clean.

Florida Panthers

Florida is using its modern gold-and-red color scheme while utilizing the team's secondary logo of a palm tree and hockey stick as the shoulder crest. Hopefully the original ferocious Panther logo makes it on the front as the primary logo.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are ditching their usual primary color of red and going with an inverted jersey featuring a dominant blue with a red stripe.

Ottawa Senators

It appears the Senators will be bringing back the team's inaugural jersey in some capacity while using the club's current color scheme.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay is using its old Lightning crest as a shoulder patch, and the club is sticking with the classic blue-and-white combo. The design takes its inspiration from 2004, the first season the Lightning won the Stanley Cup.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs are surprisingly introducing grey, with a simple blue maple leaf as the shoulder patch. The sweater will be based on the team's design from 1970, but it doesn't seem like Toronto will push as many boundaries as some other teams.

Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are going with a Whalers design, which seems like it'll be incredible.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus hasn't established a long history to work with, but it appears the Blue Jackets will briefly be the Red Jackets during the 2020-21 season.

Philadelphia Flyers

Philly seems to be throwing it back to the days of Eric Lindros' dominance, but with a twist.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins really didn't include much in their teaser. Due to the amount of outdoor games that have featured Pittsburgh in recent years, the team may need to get extra creative to give us a design we haven't seen.

New Jersey Devils

Based on the colour scheme of New Jersey's design, this kit could be the perfect Christmas gift for the Devils fan in your life.

New York Islanders

The Islanders appear to be using a darker base color. We'll see if there's any hidden creative touches.

New York Rangers

It looks as though the Lady Liberty design is returning imminently to the Big Apple.

Washington Capitals

Washington is sticking with its current color combination, but the Capitals teased the logo used at the start of the Alex Ovechkin era. Consider us intrigued.

Central Division

Chicago Blackhawks

A black alternate is returning to the Windy City. This Blackhawks design could be excellent.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche were one of the only teams to provide extra details, and we're glad they did. An ode to the Quebec Nordiques is coming.

Dallas Stars

The shoulder patch hints at the Stars using the design they wore while winning their only Stanley Cup.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are set to rock North Stars colors. This look has the potential to be excellent.

Nashville Predators

The Predators are bringing back their old silver sleeves, though that part of the jersey isn't as shiny as it was before. Pair that with some excess yellow, and these sweaters could get wild.

St. Louis Blues

One thing is for sure: These are going to be bright.

Winnipeg Jets

While the other relocated franchises are featuring their roots in some way, the Jets decided not to pay tribute to the Atlanta Thrashers' unique colors.

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim's inaugural and wildly popular Mighty Ducks logo will be the shoulder patch, and the nameplate looks like it'll feature a unique cartoon font.

Arizona Coyotes

The vibrant purple color is flashy for Arizona, but the big question here is whether the beloved Kachina Coyote will be the primary logo.

Calgary Flames

The Flames are seemingly keeping it simple. The team's current primary logo is the shoulder patch, and the club is going with a predominantly black color scheme.

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton didn't divulge much regarding its logo, with the team focusing on the color scheme and design.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings made the right call by going back to the team's incredible purple-and-gold color scheme.

San Jose Sharks

San Jose teased a simple teal-and-white color scheme, leaving out the logo and shoulder patch for now.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks' new sweater will feature a green, blue, and white color scheme, but it looks like the jersey will be mostly dark blue.

Vegas Golden Knights

There isn't much of a past for the Golden Knights to draw on, but the team created a vibrant red jersey with a new logo up front.

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The unique circumstances of the 2019-20 NHL season will give the Tampa Bay Lightning an opportunity no other club has ever enjoyed.

For the first time, the Stanley Cup winners' names will already be engraved when each member of the championship team gets their day with the trophy.

"We've been thinking outside of the box," Phil Pritchard, one of two keepers of the Cup, told the Tampa Bay Times' Eduardo A. Encina. "(We've been asking ourselves,) 'How can we make some positives in a non-traditional, kind of negative time in the world?' and this (was) one of them. Let's get the Cup engraved so when we do have that opportunity, the guys can celebrate it. So, it's a huge positive I think, and everyone (agreed) with it."

Usually, the champions' names are engraved just before the start of the following season, after each title-winning player has already spent their day with the Cup. Because of pandemic protocols pertaining to travel, the Lightning haven't had the chance to take turns bringing the trophy to their respective hometowns, according to Encina.

While waiting for the go-ahead to carry out that tradition, the hardware was sent to Montreal to be engraved.

"Not every player has seen their name on it as of yet," Pritchard said. "A lot have, and it's pretty cool. To me, if there's one thing we could do moving forward when we go back to, say, a regular year, I would push for that. The emotions are so powerful when someone sees their name on the Cup."

The Lightning won Lord Stanley's mug Sept. 28 and partied with it during their much-criticized parade two days later.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and captain Sidney Crosby provided the surprise of a lifetime to fan Katie Dudas following the completion of her cancer treatment.

The organization invited Dudas to PPG Paints Arena for what she thought was an event for fans battling cancer. Instead, the Penguins hosted only her, providing a tour of the dressing room to gift her a custom jersey and then playing a video message.

"Hi Katie, congratulations on finishing your treatment," Crosby said. "I hear you're a pretty popular person at the games and also responsible for putting a lot of smiles on people's faces. On behalf of myself and the team, we just want to wish you much happiness and health moving forward, and just want to let you know how proud we are to have you on our team."

Dudas then rang the bell in the dressing room to signify the end of her treatments.

Each year, the NHL organizes Hockey Fights Cancer month in November.

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A giant van marked with the University of Vermont's colors and logos sat outside the duty-free shop. Men's hockey assistant coach Jeff Hill had borrowed the bulky vehicle from the Catamounts' varsity ski team to transport Dovar, Azzaro, one other freshman, and the players' luggage - clothes, hockey gear, televisions, microwaves - in one run.

Hill had briefed border authorities on the handoff plan and promised to quickly return stateside with three Canadians bound for the UVM campus in Burlington, some 40 miles south.

"In a way, it felt like I was smuggling them over the border," Hill told theScore with a laugh.

The Tinling family had driven the scenic two hours from Montreal to Burlington many times over the years. But this trip, like seemingly everything else in 2020, was strange - "surreal," as Azzaro put it. The two boys could cross the border, but Mom and Dad couldn't - not unless they wanted to endure a lengthy quarantine.

After a teary goodbye, the parents headed north and the van south. "It was weird, but it actually went pretty smoothly," said Dovar, the younger of the two brothers. "We pulled up to customs, did everything there, and we were off. It took about an hour, tops."

Strict protocols greeted them at UVM. Before exploring campus, the brothers were required to pass multiple COVID-19 tests while observing a 10-day quarantine. It wasn't the storybook going-off-to-college scene anyone had envisioned. But that's how it had to be to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Dovar, a top prospect for the 2021 NHL Draft, won't turn 18 until March. That makes him the youngest player in NCAA Division I hockey and the youngest Canadian NCAA player since Jonathan Toews and Simon Danis-Pepin dressed for North Dakota and Maine, respectively, in 2005-06.

This is the story of Dovar's rise through the ranks, why he chose UVM, and the part his older brother Azzaro, 20, has played in shaping him as a person and athlete.

The Tinling brothers, born three years and two months apart, grew up in Pointe-Claire, a low-density suburb of Montreal. The family home backs onto Lake Saint-Louis, which in the winter, with some light shoveling, can be converted into a frozen playground.

As kids, Dovar and Azzaro would come home from elementary school on their lunch break, lace up their skates, and spend 20-30 minutes on the lake. Their mom, Tracey, would fix sandwiches as the lifelong best buddies buzzed around. Most days it would be one-on-one; other times, someone was the goalie. They'd carve up the lake after school and on weekends, too.

"It was just fun to us," Azzaro said. "We didn't think anything of it at the time."

In organized hockey, the brothers were on independent timelines. Azzaro's birthday is in December, so he was four age groups ahead of Dovar. There was no scenario - not even in midget, where three cohorts play with and against each other in the Quebec system - in which their paths in minor hockey would cross.

The brothers insist Tracey and dad Adolphe never forced hockey upon them. Their love for the sport and drive to improve came naturally. Education, on the other hand, was a top priority in the Tinling household. Adolphe would often use his own story to deliver the message to the brothers and their sister Jordan, now 23.

From the mid-1960s to the mid-70s, Adolphe came of age in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, then one of Montreal's roughest areas. He promised himself he'd graduate high school, a promise he says saved his life.

"Around one-third of the guys I grew up with are dead," he said. "Around one-third are so screwed up because of being exposed to drugs and whatnot. And around one-third are in prison. Take away about 5%, and those are the people who got out and did OK."

In a roundabout way, it was this emphasis on education that finally brought Dovar and Azzaro together on the same team last season. Both had aspirations of earning a degree while pursuing the pro hockey path, and the Hawkesbury Hawks of the junior A Central Canada Hockey League happily made room for both forwards as they looked to maintain their NCAA eligibility. Azzaro, an intimidating, heavy winger, recorded 16 goals and 23 assists in 51 games in 2019-20, his second year with the Hawks. Dovar, meanwhile, claimed CCHL Rookie of the Year honors after recording 21 goals and 30 assists in 50 contests.

"He's a kid who has always played up to the level of competition," said Hill, who started recruiting Dovar to UVM at the beginning of his lone season in midget AAA.

Hawks head coach Rick Dorval liked the brothers' chemistry, so he kept them on the same line for the majority of the season. It seemed a wise move in Azzaro's eyes.

"I knew where he was before I would have to look," Azzaro said of his on-ice synergy with Dovar. "I can't even describe it. It's something you can't really say. I just knew where he would be. I knew his tendencies."

Dovar's tenure with Hawkesbury, though short-lived, was formative. He asserted himself against more physically mature players as a wiry 16-year-old and juggled the demands of multiple Team Canada tournaments and endless school assignments. "Last year," he said, "was definitely an interesting experience."

Hawkesbury, a small Ontario town that runs along the Ottawa River, is a 50-minute drive from Pointe-Claire, so the brothers lived at home. Azzaro, the self-proclaimed "suburban mom," would pick up Dovar from school and drive him to and from practices and games. The rides, sometimes running deep into the night or in the middle of a storm, became something to look forward to. With Azzaro in the driver's seat, Dovar rode shotgun and served as DJ, blasting "Return of the Mac," among other classics.

On the ice, there was no question Dovar was a burgeoning talent.

"He matured a lot, and as he matured, he became a really elite player," Dorval said. "I wouldn't be afraid to say that - if we were able to put on the playoffs - Dovar could have easily been one of the top three players in the postseason, and he could have been a big reason for us having a legitimate chance at winning a championship."

Jon Goyens, Dovar's midget coach, was originally hesitant about his star pupil playing junior A at 16. The CCHL is a hodgepodge of promising prospects and kids at the end of their competitive hockey careers. How might he fit into the mix?

"Well, it fit because he made it fit," Goyens said, labeling Dovar a hyper-observant "sponge."

"He's just not a kid I bet against. He's committed, he's dialed in."

A couple of weeks ago, NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary players-to-watch list for the 2021 draft. Four NCAA players made the list: Owen Power, Kent Johnson, Matthew Beniers, and Dovar. Power, Johnson, and Beniers - all from the University of Michigan - received "A" ratings, indicating they're candidates to go in the first round. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Dovar was rated a notch below as a "B" prospect.

"Dovar's that Kyle Connor-type player," UVM head coach Todd Woodcroft said. "He's got really good vision. He's got very good patience with the puck."

Woodcroft's resume includes two decades behind NHL benches, most recently with the Winnipeg Jets as an assistant to head coach Paul Maurice. He's extremely familiar with Connor, Dovar's favorite player, after working with him on a daily basis in Winnipeg. Both forwards have slight builds, explosive hand speed, and off-the-charts hockey sense. Connor is an elite goal-scorer - the Michigan product has notched 31, 34, and 38 goals for the Jets in his first three full NHL seasons - and Woodcroft and Goyens believe Dovar could have a similar trajectory. Dovar, for his part, understands what he has to work on to get there.

"I'm a pass-first kind of player, but I also think I can score," he said. "I think my biggest asset is my hockey IQ, especially with the puck. I think I'm a strong skater as well. I could work a lot on every aspect of the game, but my play without the puck - defensively and also in the offensive zone - needs work."

First, Dovar must prove himself in the college hockey scene. Recruited heavily by a number of powerhouse hockey schools including Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State, he settled on UVM. Household names Martin St. Louis, Tim Thomas, John LeClair, and Patrick Sharp are Catamounts alumni. Now Dovar - alongside Azzaro, the protective older brother - hopes to join that list over the next few years.

Every family attacks decision-making from its own unique angle. For the Tinlings, lists are a crucial, necessary part of the process. Ever since Dovar, Azzaro, and Jordan were young kids, they've leaned on one particular kind of list: pros and cons.

"It takes the emotion out of a decision," Azzaro said.

Dovar sat down on two separate occasions this past summer to craft lists relating to his hockey career. The first helped determine if UVM was the right school for him.

In the pros column, he scribbled four main points: He'd be on the same team and campus as his brother and best friend; he'd be joining a historic Hockey East program; he'd play a key role in revitalizing UVM hockey, which has fallen on hard times of late amid three straight losing seasons; and he'd be able to learn from Woodcroft, who was hired in April to replace longtime UVM bench boss Ken Sneddon.

Under cons, he outlined similar points with different twists: He'd be following in his brother's footsteps instead of charting his own path; he'd be joining a rebuilding team, not a powerhouse; and, by living 100 miles from home, he'd remain in his comfort zone.

"The pros completely outweighed the cons," Dovar ultimately concluded, and in June he officially committed to UVM for the 2021-22 season. He'd be 18 by then, a "true freshman" by NCAA standards. In the interim, he'd move west to Des Moines, Iowa, to suit up for the USHL's Buccaneers while taking Grade 12 classes at a local high school (high school in Quebec ends after Grade 11) and preparing for the SATs.

But not long after Dovar's commitment, Woodcroft volleyed an idea back to the Tinlings. Based on game tape, conversations between player and coach, and the NCAA softening its eligibility rules because of the coronavirus (no SATs, for example), Woodcroft thought Dovar could start college this fall, a full year ahead of schedule.

Fast-tracking was an enticing but overwhelming idea. "I had to sit down with both of my parents and really go over it," Dovar said. "I had to do more pros and cons."

Hovering over the obvious challenges of changing course were two external variables: The 2020-21 season would be Dovar's NHL draft year, and most - if not all - of the campaign would be played amid a pandemic. Would college hockey be the best setting to maximize exposure to NHL scouts? How much ice time would he get as an underager? How many games would UVM even play?

"I'd love to go as high as I can," Dovar said of the draft. "So you definitely take into account which spot is better for you. That played into my choice, getting to know and trusting coach Woodcroft and what he'll be able to do with this program while I'm here. Plus, coming from the NHL, he knows what teams want and how to mold a player."

After deep reflection, the pros column had won again.

"While his peers are playing in the USHL and playing against guys who are 18, 19, maybe 20, this guy's playing against people who are going to have a mortgage next year," Woodcroft said, sprinkling in some hyperbole to make his point.

At even strength, Dovar is slated to line up alongside Latvian center Ray Vitolins, also a freshman, and right-winger Alex Esposito, a senior from Connecticut. He'll also get time on the power play during UVM's 20-game schedule. Both team and player are prepared for growing pains.

"He's going to make mistakes, he's going to turn the puck over, he's going to get scored on, and he's going to get right back out there. That's how he's going to develop," Woodcroft said of Dovar, whose maturity, quiet attention to detail, and general disposition remind the coach of a young Steve Yzerman or Joe Sakic.

"He's a 17-year-old, but to me, he's a 27-year-old," Woodcroft said. "He's a wise and mature and humble guy. He just gets it, you know?"

Dovar and Azzaro share a room on the seventh floor of an on-campus dormitory. There's one fridge, one microwave, one TV, two desks, and two beds. On the wall hangs a pair of posters: one of Michael Jordan and another of Kobe Bryant. There's also a flag depicting a cartoon gorilla lifting weights. It's not hard to guess which pieces of wall art belong to whom. "He's a beast in the gym," Dovar said of Azzaro.

The brothers, along with UVM's other first-year players, talked recently about the opportunity before them, to one day be known as the freshman class that kick-started a successful and proud period of Catamounts hockey. The Nov. 26-27 weekend signals the beginning of the Woodcroft era with two games against UMass.

You can bet Adolphe and Tracey will be tuning in. You can also bet Dovar will try to heed some brotherly advice as the youngest kid on the ice.

"The biggest thing Azzaro's taught me over the years - I think I was 14 at the time - is that at some point, you have to realize age isn't a factor," Dovar said.

"Ever since then, I've stopped comparing ages. If you're a hockey player, you're a hockey player."

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.

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