Ever since he was in grade school in his native Kitchener, Nicolas Hague has been organized.

If he had an important tournament on the weekend and a key exam on the Friday, he’d ask his teacher for special permission to write the test ahead of time.

It’s the same now with the Mississauga Steelheads, where Hague is a towering top-pair defenceman juggling hockey and sports management studies at the University of Toronto.

While that’s already a lot to handle for an 18-year-old, there’s also the pressure of playing in his NHL draft year.

“It’s just a thing I’ve always done growing up. Playing hockey and going to school, I just managed my time,” Hague said Wednesday before his club hosted the Erie Otters in Game 4 of the OHL final, with the Steelheads trailing two games to one.

“But hockey . . . I love this. I love the game and I love coming to the rink. I’m here every day, and it’s fun being here and being with the guys. It’s not like I wake up every morning and go: Oh man, I have to go to the rink today. This is what I love to do.”

Hague, who grew up a Leafs fan, and teammate Owen Tippett are both potential first-rounders in the June draft. While Tippett — a six-foot-three, 205-pound winger from Peterborough — is ranked sixth by Central Scouting, Hague has checked in around where the Leafs will be selecting at No. 16. He’s ranked 17th according to Hockey Prospect, 18th by International Scouting Services, 20th by Central Scouting. He’s likely to be the first OHL defenceman taken.

“I try to not let it be a distraction,” Hague said. “Obviously, the draft is a huge part of my year. (Scouts) are at the rink all the time, watching. You are meeting with NHL people after practices a lot. But I really am enjoying this, and I think you have to. If you would have told me three years ago that I had a chance to get drafted into the NHL, I’d have said no way.”

Hague was the Steelheads’ second-round pick three years ago. Since school was always a priority for Hague and parents Bob and Sheila, he considered the NCAA route before choosing major junior hockey.

Former Mississauga defenceman Sean Day took Hague under his wing. But Hague left his options open, playing junior B in his first year of eligibility. That allowed him to finish Grade 11. He entered the OHL last year and was voted the top scholastic player.

Along the way, he improved his skating with coach James Richmond — who also spent four years working with NHLers as part of the Kings’ staff. Hague also travelled between Ottawa and Toronto in the summer to work with Ottawa-based skating coach Pat Malloy.

“For these taller kids, it’s a matter of maturing into their physiques,” Richmond said of Hague, officially listed at six-foot-six and 220 pounds.

“They come (to major junior) and they have to work on their skating. They have to get their weight up. That’s exactly what Nic has done. He’s worked on it on his own, and he’d come in early in the mornings to work on it with me. Now, (skating) hasn’t come up anymore.”

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Richmond also stressed Hague’s character as a factor for NHL GMs and scouts, whose draft preparations are in full swing. Scouts from the Leafs, Kings, Lightning and more NHL clubs have been on hand for the games at the Hershey Centre to check out Hague, Tippett and hidden gems such as Shaw Boomhower, an undrafted 18-year-old who has worked himself into regular duty with the Steelheads and draft consideration.

Hague said he had Kitchener Rangers season tickets until he was drafted by the Steelheads, adding it would be great if the Leafs pick him: “My dad played Junior B hockey and I’d go to Leafs skates with him when I was a kid, when we had the chance … if the draft does work out that way, it would be a dream come true.”