The steamy Crave and HBO Max series Heated Rivalry, based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books, is officially returning for season 2, with several new characters from the author’s wider hockey universe set to appear.

While the exact Season 2 plot is still under wraps, Connor Storrie has hinted that it will draw from Reid’s sixth book, The Long Game. So, for anyone who can’t wait for the new episodes, now might be a good time to start reading ahead.

So, where did Season 1 leave Shane and Ilya?

The first season followed Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov over roughly a decade, beginning when the two young hockey stars met as rookies and quickly developed a rivalry both on and off the ice.

Behind closed doors, that rivalry became something unexpected. What began as secret hook-ups soon turned into a relationship neither man was particularly willing to accept or define.

The series also introduced Scott Hunter and Kip Grady, whose relationship eventually became public when Scott came out and kissed Kip in front of an arena full of people.

By the finale, Shane and Ilya escaped to Shane’s family cottage, where years of avoiding their feelings finally catch up with them. They confessed their love and decided they wanted to be together properly.

From there, viewers who haven’t read the books were left to guess where the couples would end up.

Season 2 is expected to draw from both Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, while creator Jacob Tierney has also said it will take parts of the story from Reid’s Role Model, another novel in the series.

Justice Smith, known for I Saw the TV Glow and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, has joined Season 2 as Harris Drover, one of the central characters in Role Model, according to Bell Media. This casting attracted some online criticism because, in the books, Harris is a plus-size character and fans hoped this would be reflected in the show.

Opposite Smith, Charlie Gillespie will play hockey player Troy Barrett. Tierney has described Troy as a damaged character, while Harris is the more optimistic of the two. Their romance forms the centre of Role Model.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Crave (@cravecanada)

More casting announcements soon followed. Deadline reported that Schitt’s Creek star Emily Hampshire will play Vanessa.

Vanessa comes from Tough Guy, the third novel in the series, rather than The Long Game. In the books, she is a lesbian who works in a sex shop and becomes friends with several of the other queer characters in Reid’s universe.

Young Royals and 28 Years Later star Edvin Ryding will play Luca, a young Swiss hockey player who joins the Ottawa Centaurs as a rookie and becomes one of Ilya’s teammates.

Robert Naylor (Mile End Kicks), Sabrina Jalees (Black Mirror) and Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka will also join the cast for the new season.

So far, Crave has officially announced seven new cast members: Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie, Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and Priyanka. Some characters remain uncast, at least publicly, so treat any claims about who might play them as speculation.

What the confirmed cast does tell us is that Heated Rivalry is becoming much bigger than the story of two men sneaking into each other’s hotel rooms. Season 1 mostly focused on Shane and Ilya. Season 2 looks ready to open the door to the much wider, and increasingly queer, hockey world surrounding them.

Heated Rivalry Season 2 is expected to premiere in Spring 2027.