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."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Until Colorado Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic announces that the team will indeed select Halifax Mooseheads center Nathan MacKinnon with the first choice of the 2013 NHL Draft on Sunday at Prudential Center (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN, RDS), the speculation will continue.

Should the Avalanche instead draft a future franchise defenseman, Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks?

During the NHL Top Prospects clinic at AmeriHealth Pavilion at Prudential Center on Saturday, New Jersey Devils alumni and former standout defensemen Ken Daneyko and Bruce Driver were asked that question.

Mark Streit, an offensive-minded defenseman, should fit right in with the high-scoring Philadelphia Flyers. Whether his fantasy stock will rise or fall remains to be seen.

The 35-year-old signed a four-year contract Friday with the Flyers, who have finished top-10 in the League in goals-per-game for six consecutive seasons. Only Kris Letang (26), Andrei Markov (25), Cody Franson (25) and Ryan Suter (24) had more games with at least one point than Streit (23) during this past 48-game campaign.

But here's the other side to the story: The former New York Islanders captain is tied with Eric Gudbranson for the NHL's worst combined rating (minus-41) over the past two seasons. The Flyers also posted a worse goal differential (minus-8 in 2012-13) than the Islanders (even). Therefore, it shouldn't be assumed Streit's rating will improve significantly.

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. -- A few of the top prospects for the 2013 NHL Draft took part in a media event along the Hudson River on Friday, posing for pictures and having a good time.

It wasn't always this way. Darnell Nurse's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds faced Sean Monahan's Ottawa 67's twice in the Ontario Hockey League, and Hunter Shinkaruk's Medicine Hat Tigers played Seth Jones' Portland Winterhawks once in the Western Hockey League.

Rivalries on the ice, however, led to respect, and each prospect had only good things to say about his counterpart:

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. -- Nathan MacKinnon stands 6-feet tall, but on the hockey rink he casts quite a shadow.

It was big enough to block some from discovering how good Jonathan Drouin, his teammate with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, really is.

"He deserves all that [attention]," MacKinnon said Friday. "He's had a heck of a year and definitely helped carry us to the Memorial Cup championship. He's been a great player and a great teammate all year. He definitely deserves all the attention he's getting."

Sean Monahan, NHL Central Scouting's No. 5-rated skater among the top draft-eligible prospects in North America, is a center for the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot-2.25, 187-pound forward led his team with 31 goals, 47 assists, 15 power-play goals and 78 points in 58 games this season for the 67's. Monahan, who was voted among the top three players in four separate categories during the OHL Eastern Conference Coaches Poll in March, has maintained a blog for NHL.com this season leading up to the NHL Draft in Newark, N.J.

Hi everyone from the media lunch area near the Hudson River!

I just arrived in New York City [Friday] morning at about 9 a.m. ET and it's been great.

It's a crazy city and there are certainly a lot of people. I guess I'm just looking forward to getting around the city once I get the opportunity. My mother [Cathy] and father [John] and sister [Jacqueline] are here, as is my sister's boyfriend, some aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandparents. I have about 35 people here with me so I guess you can say we went all out!

I basically have been in the gym since the conclusion of the NHL Scouting Combine [earlier this month]. I haven't had a day off since two weeks after the season ended in Ottawa. I took some time off then, but I've been in the gym every day and have been skating two or three times a week. I continue to work on my game and do whatever I can for next year in order to become an impact player in the NHL.

I really enjoyed the Stanley Cup Final. Watching my favorite player, Jonathan Toews was great. He's a leader and even when he's not putting up points, he's contributing in other ways. It could be playing that strong two-way game or winning face-offs or just making sure the whole team is ready to go. So that was really fun to watch. It was certainly a great series.

It's great to be in the company with such great draft eligible players. All the players here are so good. Thing is, you never know where you will go [in the draft] but you're always competing against each other on the ice. Now, I guess, it's time to just sit back and relax and let the cards fall where they're supposed to. It's an exciting time and just being able to share it with the other prospects is awesome.

I'll check back again after the draft. Thanks for reading.

Follow Sean Monahan on Twitter at: @Monahan20

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. -- It's been quite the weekend for the family of Nathan MacKinnon as they follow the potential first pick of the 2013 NHL Draft through the metropolitan area in the days leading up draft day Sunday at Prudential Center in Newark (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN).

During the top prospects media luncheon, MacKinnon was joined by his mother and father, Kathy and Graham, and his older sister, Sarah.

"It's very exciting," Graham MacKinnon told NHL.com. "It's almost like we're on vacation and we're here for someone else's draft. Then you look over and it's your son. You see his name and we're very excited and happy for him."

In a final show of sportsmanship following one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Final series in recent memory, the Chicago Blackhawks are paying tribute to the city of Boston.

In a full-page open letter published Friday in the Boston Globe (view it here), Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz and President/CEO John McDonough said "thank you" to the Boston Bruins organization and the city of Boston.

The ad read as follows:

"Hockey is a tough game. As impressed as we were by the strength, talent and competitive spirit of the Boston Bruins on the ice, we were deeply touched by what happened off the ice. Rarely have we experience the hospitality you afforded us throughout the playoff series between two incredibly gifted teams.

NEW YORK -- It's no secret that Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds defenseman Darnell Nurse comes from an athletic background.

Most sports fans have heard of his uncle, former NFL All-Pro quarterback Donovan McNabb. His father, Richard Nurse, was a wide receiver with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.

Darnell said he's seen the result of that career crop up as his father has gotten older.

"The other day we were sitting on the back deck and that was one of my questions," Nurse said during a press event Thursday at the Empire State Building. "He can't straighten one of his elbows, he's got a couple fingers pointing the wrong way."

NEW YORK -- While the Colorado Avalanche appear to have decided on taking Halifax Mooseheads center Nathan MacKinnon with the top pick of the 2013 NHL Draft on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN), MacKinnon said he isn't paying much attention to it.

Joe Sakic, the Avalanche's executive vice-president of hockey, said of MacKinnon during a television interview Monday, "I think if we had to do it today, right now, he would probably be the guy, yes."

In an interview with ESPN.com on Monday, Avalanche coach Patrick Roy echoed those sentiments: "It would be tough for us not to take MacKinnon. MacKinnon is ready to play tomorrow."

MacKinnon said he didn't hear the comments directly, but learned pretty quickly what had been said.

“Actually both times I was asleep in bed, so I woke up with a bunch of texts and I didn't know what was going on at first," MacKinnon said during a press event Wednesday at the Empire State Building. "But I kind of just checked my [Twitter] mentions and then people will kind of let me know what's going on in my own life. That's the way it works these days -- you find out from Twitter and not the news or anything. Word gets around pretty quick, I guess."