NEWARK, N.J. -- Anthony Brodeur said he didn't have high expectations entering the 2013 NHL Draft.

He was just holding out hope to hear his name called at some point during the seven-round selection process on Sunday at Prudential Center, within the state where his father, New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, has become a legend.

As it turned out, dad would be the one serving up a dream come true when he announced his son as the Devils' seventh-round pick (No. 208). Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello informed Martin of the team's decision to draft Anthony at some point during the sixth round and requested that he make the pick.

The Devils acquired the pick from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2015 seventh-round choice.

"I don't know how hard it is to get a seventh-round pick, but it's something we talked a little bit about during the season," Martin Brodeur said. "We were able to do it and it was nice of the team to allow me to make the pick."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Willie O'Ree knows the journey has only begun for prospects Seth Jones and Darnell Nurse at the 2013 NHL Draft in Prudential Center.

Now comes the hard part -- making an NHL roster.

Jones, a defenseman for the Portland Winterhawks, became the second African-American/Canadian player chosen No. 4 at the draft when he was selected by the Nashville Predators on Sunday. Jones now has something in common with Evander Kane, who had originally held that lofty distinction when he was picked fourth by the Atlanta Thrashers on June 26, 2009.

Nurse, also a defenseman with the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, would soon follow in Jones' footsteps when he was tabbed at No. 7 by the Edmonton Oilers.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jordan Subban acknowledged that his parents had to wait longer for his name to be called than when his older brothers were drafted.

Eldest brother P.K. was taken in the second round of the 2007 NHL Draft, while middle brother Malcolm was selected in the second round last year.

But despite having to wait until the 115th pick Sunday to hear his name called by the Vancouver Canucks, the youngest Subban, a defenseman, feels he's fallen into a great situation.

"Obviously I was hoping to go a little bit earlier, but it doesn't matter how long you wait. I've waited 18 years for this day," Subban said. "I'm just ecstatic that I've been given this opportunity to be part of an NHL organization. Being a Canadian team is the cherry on top."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Rimouski Oceanic defenseman Samuel Morin was happy to see Chris Pronger, the NHL player he grew up idolizing, at the table after the Philadelphia Flyers selected the 6-foot-6 defenseman with the 11th pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.

"I just said hi," Morin said. "I didn't know what to say. I just said hi."

The fact Morin and Pronger can look at each other eye to eye is about the only thing the pair has in common right now. The future, though, looks promising.

"Samuel has come a long way in a short period of time," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "He's ultra-competitive. For a guy that big he skates very well. Great range, pretty good understanding of the game, and his puck skills have gotten so much better in a not very long period of time. I think he's a very good prospect with a chance to really blossom over the next year or two."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Halifax Mooseheads center Nathan MacKinnon was in the middle of an interview when he heard teammate Jonathan Drouin's name announced over the public address system in the early stages of the 2013 NHL Draft at Prudential Center on Sunday.

"It put a smile on my face," said MacKinnon, who was chosen with the No. 1 pick by the Colorado Avalanche.

A little over three hours later, MacKinnon and Drouin were probably both grinning ear-to-ear when teammate Zachary Fucale became the first goalie off the draft board -- going in the second round (No. 36) to the Montreal Canadiens.

It wasn't too surprising when Drouin went two picks after MacKinnon to the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 3 choice. After all, MacKinnon was No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's list of the top draft-eligible North American skaters and Drouin was ranked third. They played a major role in helping lead the Mooseheads to the league's President Cup by combining for 23 goals and 68 points in 17 games.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Hunter Shinkaruk had to wait a lot longer than expected to hear his name called Sunday at the 2013 NHL Draft. All that extra waiting time did was give him some added incentive.

Shinkaruk, a forward with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League who was rated No. 6 on NHL Central Scouting's final list of the top draft-eligible North American skaters, wasn't chosen until the Vancouver Canucks called his named with the 24th pick in the first round. But falling toward the bottom of the opening round did nothing to diminish the thrill of being drafted for the Calgary native.

"I'm so excited to go to Vancouver, it's unbelievable," Shinkaruk told NHL.com. "It definitely was a pretty long wait … a little longer than I had anticipated. But at the end of the day, a lot of things happen on draft day and it's going to be something that motivates me to prove all those teams wrong."

NEWARK, N.J. -- With the eighth and 16th picks of the 2013 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres addressed two needs: defense and size.

"We want to become bigger. We want to become physical. The game's moving that way now," Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said Sunday after making the selections.

The Sabres took Rasmus Ristolainen, a 6-foot-3, 201-pound Finnish defenseman with the eighth pick. In 2012-13, Ristolainen, 18, played 52 games for TPS in SM-liiga, recording three goals, 12 assists, 15 points and 32 penalty minutes.

Buffalo then used the 16th pick to draft 18-year-old Russian defenseman Nikita Zadorav of the London Knights. Zadorav (6-foot-4, 200-pounds) had six goals, 19 assists, 25 points and 54 penalty minutes in 63 games in 2012-13.

"Both big and a little bit different skill set," Regier said, describing Buffalo's picks. "Ristolainen is a little more on the physical side. Zadorov is a little more on the skill side. But they're both skilled, they're both vicious."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Popeye Jones was standing in the tunnel just off the NHL Draft floor, taking in the sights at Prudential Center. It's a long way from 1992, when he was chosen by the Houston Rockets with the 41st pick of the 1992 NBA Draft.

"This is all new to me," he told NHL.com. "A projected second-round pick, you don't get to come to the draft in the NBA. I was at home watching on TV."

He has a choice seat for the 2013 NHL Draft, where his son, Seth, was chosen with the fourth selection by the Nashville Predators. Rather than fretting for his son's fate, Popeye said he was excited and proud.

"I was more nervous about myself," he said. "Am I going to get drafted? Am I not going to get drafted? With Seth, he's going to get drafted, it's a matter of to who. I'm more excited for him and a very proud dad."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Before becoming coach of the Buffalo Sabres, Ron Rolston got an early glimpse of why defenseman Seth Jones will be one of the first players picked at Sunday at the 2013 NHL Draft (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

Rolston was coaching the United States National Team Development Program's under-18 team during the 2010-11 season when Jones was called up from the U-17 team to play 20 regular-season games, and six more during the 2011 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

Rolston said all of the attributes that have intrigued NHL scouts were obvious from the moment he first saw Jones on the ice.

"Obviously his size and that potential, he's probably going to grow more," Rolston told NHL.com. "His ability to command the game, his hockey sense. He can control the game when he's on the ice. He can attack with the puck, he can move it up with his transition passing. He's a guy that really accelerates your team both defensively and offensively. You can tell the poise he played with as a young player, especially on defense. We're looking at defensemen at the NHL level to have the poise with the puck on the defensive end, and he's one of the guys who has that."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken where TLC's "Cake Boss" is filmed, is prepared to unveil a special treat Sunday prior to the start of the NHL Draft at Prudential Center (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

Valastro, known as Buddy to those familiar with the reality television show, said a life-sized cake will be a part of the pre-draft festivities. Though he wouldn't reveal details of its look or shape, he did admit it is the second hockey cake they have done on "Cake Boss," and the biggest.

"We're doing a really cool cake for the draft and I think they're going to love it," Valastro said. "They are going to unveil it between 2 and 3 o'clock. Sorry, but I can't say too much more about it."