Kevin Allen | USA TODAY Sports

Florida native Zach Solow should be the face for this week’s Hockey Across America celebration because his hockey odyssey shows how far the sport has come in the United States.

Credit: Hickling Images

Solow, 18, has risen up from the non-traditional hockey program in Naples, Fla., to become the leading scorer in the United States Hockey League, the top juniors-level league in the U.S.

“My dad is originally from Boston, and he went to Arizona State on a baseball scholarship,” Solow said. “He had no (connection) in hockey at all. But my dad and I were watching hockey on TV, and said, ‘I want to play hockey.'”

After 10 years of playing in Florida, he moved away from home and his parents to play the for St. Louis Junior Blues team coached by former NHL player Jeff Brown. Then he ended up in Janesville, Wisc., playing in the North American Hockey League before joining the Dubuque Fighting Saints. He leads the USHL in scoring with 50 points in 40 games.

“I’ve been around him, and he’s a real character; and I mean that in a complimentary way,” NHL's director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said. “He’s not big, but he’s got great hockey instincts and a finishing touch. He applies himself. He’s an unselfish player. Teammates like him. He brings an attitude and work ethic. He’s motivated to succeed.”

Solow was a 13th-round pick in the USHL, and he wasn’t ranked on Central Scouting's mid-season list.

“But he’s on our list now,” Marr said. “He’s one of those guys that you don’t want to ever say never.”

Red Line Report, used by USA TODAY Sports for ranking NHL prospects, rated Solow 93rd on its February rankings. The 2017 NHL draft is June 23-24 in Chicago.

“The expansion of the NHL has helped the growth of the game,” said Dubuque coach Jason Lammers. “A few years ago it seems like the non-traditional place to (find) players was California, but (the game) has spread its wings. We now find players all over the place.”

Solow helped Team USA win the World Junior Challenge last December in Alberta, Canada.

“He was tremendous for us, exceeding all expectations as a person and player,” said Marc Boxer, USA Hockey’s director of junior hockey. “He quarterbacked our power play unit. He is like a field general.”

Committed to play college hockey at Northeastern, Solow has continued to draw more and more attention. “And he still has a lot of growth left in his game,” Lammers said.

Boxer said what Solow does best is make everyone around him better. “I think we have believed in him for a while, but now he is believing in himself as well,” Lammers said.

Solow also can work a room like an experienced salesperson. “You like him right away,” Boxer said. “He’s one of those guys who glows with energy. You won’t know what he is like when he’s in a bad mood because he’s always in a good mood.”

The reason why Solow likes to network is because he enjoys learning about the sport.

“I just want to see how other teams and players do it, to learn about other lifestyles,” he said. “I want to bring new things back to my team, so we can be better.”

Solow doesn't believe he was at a disadvantage starting his career in Florida. He thinks Florida hockey has advantages.

“People think of Florida, they think sandy beaches not hockey,” Solow said. “But in Minnesota and Massachusetts you have to fight to get the ice. In Florida, hockey is accessible. The ice is always there. I can always go to the rink and work on something and I can do it at a reasonable time. In other states, you have to go at 6 a.m.”

In his heart, Solow remains a Floridian. “It’s the weather,” he jokes. “I can’t stand the cold weather. It kills my lips and eyes. My body can’t handle it.”

Leaving home as early as he did has fast-tracked Solow’s maturity.

“When I moved, I didn’t have any friends. I had to start over in a new school,” he said. “I decided I had to be sociable or I was going to be bored all of the time. I’m not sure that it made me a better player, but it made me a better person.”

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