There was a phone message waiting for Hotchkiss School defenseman Mac Bennett of Warwick when he returned to his room after classes one day last winter.

And even though Bennett is as poised and self-assured as any 18-year-old could hope to be, his jaw dropped when he heard who had called.

“I got the message: ‘Hey Mac, it’s Bobby Orr.’ I said, whaaaat!? Bobby Orr’s calling me?’’ Bennett said.

Orr, one of the great players in NHL history, is now a player agent. He later made the two-hour drive from Boston to Lakeville, Conn., to have breakfast with Bennett and his sister, Diana, who is also a Hotchkiss student.

“My little sister Diana wanted to go. So I go to get her and she’s in her room, and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to say? I’m not going to be able to talk. He’s going to sit across from me, and I’m just going to shake my head and nod.’’’

Now Orr is Bennett’s family adviser. “There’s not a GM in the world who won’t pick up the phone for Bobby Orr,’’ Bennett said.

With the NHL Entry Draft on tap next Friday and Saturday in Montreal, Bennett appears to be just getting started when it comes to hanging around with big names in the hockey world.

Both Bennett and Derek Deblois of Narragansett, Bennett’s teammate at Hotchkiss, are expected to be drafted next weekend.

Bennett, a 5’11’’ 170-pound puck-moving defenseman who is ranked 40th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting (European players and goaltenders are classified separately), could go as high as the middle of the second round.

The Red Line Report, an independent scouting newsletter, has Bennett ranked 73rd, which would put him in the middle of the third round. But Kyle Woodlief, a former Nashville scout who is the Red Line Report’s chief scout and publisher, predicts that Bennett will go higher.

“Someone is going to like him enough to step up and take him in the second round,’’ probably with the 45th to 50th pick, Woodlief said.

Deblois, 18, a 5’11’’ 175-pound center, is ranked 77th by Central Scouting and is expected to go in the later rounds.

Both Bennett and Deblois will be in Montreal, where the draft will be held at the Bell Center.

 Deblois, who said he has interviewed with eight or nine NHL teams, will meet with additional teams in the days leading up to the draft. “It’s really exciting,’’ said Deblois, whose family adviser is Peter Fish, the former Boston University goalie who grew up in East Greenwich.

Bennett interviewed with 18 teams at the NHL Central Scouting Combine in Toronto last month.

“The most intimidating interview was Boston. Before I even finished answering a question, another one would be fired at me,’’ Bennett said.

Bennett turned in an impressive performance in strength and fitness testing at the combine, to which 104 of the top prospects were invited. Bennett finished in the top 10 in 13 of 30 categories, including first in the standing long jump and second in pushups.

Both Bennett and Deblois have hockey in their blood.

Deblois’s father, Steve, played at Brown.

One of his teammates was Mac Bennett’s father, Jim. The Bennett’s hockey roots go back to Harvey Sr., who had a 15-year pro career that included a season with the Boston Bruins and over a decade with the Providence Reds. Harvey’s sons Curt, Harvey Jr. and Bill played in the NHL, while John played in the World Hockey Association and Jim in the International Hockey League.

Mac Bennett and Derek Deblois already have played a lot of hockey together.

Before Hotchkiss, they were teammates as peewees and bantams with the 1991 Providence Capitals.

Both players said that their time with the Capitals, where they were coached by Dennis Vaske and Dan Fawcett, was a key in their development.

“He was one of the best coaches you could have,’’ Deblois said of Vaske, who had a 235-game NHL career and captained the Providence Bruins to the 1999 Calder Cup.

“Everyone couldn’t wait to get to practice. We had so much fun,’’ Deblois said. “We all still keep in touch.’’

Said Bennett: “(Vaske) taught us how to think a few steps ahead in the game –– and how to whack someone when nobody’s looking.’’

Next season, Bennett and Deblois will play for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League to prepare for 2010-11, when they will play at the University of Michigan.

Both said that Michigan was an easy choice.

“They treat you like a pro, and it’s a good school. It wasn’t a very hard decision,’’ said Deblois, who also was recruited by Boston University and Northeastern, and received an offer from Providence College.

Bennett considered Boston College before deciding on Michigan.

“It’s an amazing atmosphere. The fans are absolutely insane. (Yost Arena) has got this old-barn feel. It’s not one of these ridiculous $30-million rinks. I like the atmosphere, I like the coaches,’’ said Bennett. Bennett’s uncle Curt played with Michigan coach Red Berenson in St. Louis, while Harvey Jr. was coached by Berenson.

This week, though, neither Bennett nor Deblois will be thinking about Michigan. Their sights are on the NHL draft.

“I never thought in a million years that I’d be in the position I’m in now,’’ said Bennett. “I’m very, very lucky, very fortunate.’’

 “It’s been a dream my whole life, and now it’s coming true,’’ said Deblois.