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Steelheads' top prospects already looking ahead to the 2017 NHL draft

Steelheads' top prospects already looking ahead to the 2017 NHL draft

Owen Tippett and Nic Hague understand the importance the NHL draft has on building tradition within the Mississauga Steelheads organization.

At the 2016 NHL draft, five Steelheads players had their names called, including first-round picks Alexander Nylander and Michael McLeod. Now, Tippett and Hague – expected to be selected in the first two rounds next June – are hoping to follow suit.

“It’s really important,” said Tippett after a recent OHL preseason game.I think that was one of our biggest years for Mississauga last year. Just seeing all those guys go through it, it was an amazing experience to watch. I just want to keep it going this year.”

Tippett, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound forward should hear his name in the first round while Hague, a lanky 6-foot-5, 216-pound blue liner, will likely be a second-round pick.

“Kind of puts our team on the map and hopefully me and Tipper can continue that this year,” said Hague of the 2016 draft. “It’s definitely nice, I know people are going to be coming to watch, and their club team that guys got drafted to will come watch them, the more people that come watch the better chance I have of (getting drafted).

“At the end of the day, I think team success will equal individual success and players going in the draft. Definitely we want to keep our name on the board and want the Steelheads to be a dominant house in the OHL.”

Steelheads GM James Boyd, who after four seasons behind the bench handed the coaching reins to James Richmond, has seen drastic growth in both Tippett and Hague compared to this time last year when both players were entering their rookie season.

Mississauga's Nic Hague is a mobile defender with an offensive upside.
Mississauga's Nic Hague is a mobile defender with an offensive upside.

Hague, an outgoing personality off the ice, has blossomed into a mature, goal-oriented player, according to Boyd.

"Our message to him was, ‘Hey, you’ve been through the league now, you know what to expect, you’re doing all the right things, it’s just a matter of continuing to do it,’” Boyd said. “He’s extremely open to coaching, he’s extremely open to any advice and there’s no doubt he’s going to put the work in.

“(He’s) extremely coordinated for a kid that size. He’s shown constant improvement. He was a second-round pick coming into the OHL, but he really established himself as one of the better defenders in the league in the second half last year.”

Hague said he tries to model his game after Arizona Coyotes blue liner Oliver Elman-Larsson. The Kitchener, Ont., native finished second amongst Steelheads blue liners in scoring last season with 14 goals and 24 points assists in 66 games.

He also represented Team Canada at the under-18 world championship, registering two assists in seven games. The 17-year-old skates well for his size – something he worked a lot on during the summer.

"I feel better, I feel stronger,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m huffing and puffing as much. Kind of feel more fluid out there.

“I want to keep contributing offensively and at the same time. Our coach is really harping on us taking care of our own zone first. I’m just going to listen to everything he says, soak it all in, and I trust him when he says, ‘When you make a good first pass out of our zone, we do a good job in our own end, it’s going to contribute at the other end of the rink.’ ”

Tippett is regarded as a pure goal-scorer with an excellent shot. In his rookie season, the Peterborough, Ont., native had 15 goals and 20 points in just 48 games. He also represented Team Canada at the under-18 tournament, scoring a goal and collecting three points in seven games. Known as a quiet kid off the ice, who is all business once the puck drops, Tippett keeps a close eye on Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stakes for pointers.

“He’s still a young player, plays against other team’s top units and top defensemen each night so that defensive responsibility has to be there,” said Boyd on Tippett. “His first tour in the league here was I think an eye-opener for him. But he’s taken it to heart and he’s gotten better each day.

“He’s fast, he’s got a great skating stride and he’s a natural goal-scorer. He knows where to go on the ice and when the puck comes to him he’s got a really quick release, he gets the puck off in a hurry so he’s able to fool a lot of goaltenders.”

That release was on display in the final minutes of the Steelheads’ 3-1 preseason loss to the Kitchener Rangers in early September as Tippett let go a wrist shot from the faceoff dot that had goaltender Chris McGonagall beat, but rang off the iron.

“It’s something I can honestly say I haven’t really put a lot of work into it,” Tippett said. “It’s just come naturally and when I’d skate, when I was younger I would try and focus on it as much as I could, but now it’s something I don’t even think about.”

Over the past two summers, Tippett has focused on getting stronger through his workout program. Although it’s just the preseason, he’s already noticing a difference.

“I notice a big difference in my game,” he said. “I feel faster, stronger, heavier on pucks so I’m happy the work I put in. I don’t notice that I’m getting knocked off pucks as much. I’m not getting the puck taken off me as much. I just think being more steady on my feet and being stable.”

In addition to teammates Nathan Bastian, Sean Day and Austin Osmanski, who all went through the draft process last season, Tippett has his cousin, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Mitchell Stephens, to lean on for advice.

“I’ve been starting to talk to him more and more,” said Tippett. “We’ll send each other a text, he just helps me, gives me little pointers here and there to improve my game.

“If he sees something, if he watches a game of mine and sees something I did, it’s more just constructive criticism. He’s gone through it, he’s two years older than I am so I’m obviously going to take (his advice) into perspective and see if I can learn from him.”

With the NHL draft still nine months away, both Hague and Tippett admit there’s plenty of time to improve their game for NHL scouts and they intend to help one another every step of the way.

“We’re just going to try and make each other better,” said Tippett. “I mean we’re close buddies on and off the ice. We’re going to help each other as much as we can whether that’s supporting each other on the ice or just helping each other individually off the ice. I’m excited.”

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