Crave has added five new cast members to the upcoming second season of the hit queer hockey series “Heated Rivalry,” according to announcements from the platform reported by outlets including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees, and Priyanka are joining the production as filming begins this month, with a targeted spring 2027 release on HBO Max in the United States and several international territories.
New Additions Expand the World of Rachel Reid’s Novels
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the newly announced actors portray characters drawn from across Rachel Reid’s bestselling “Game Changers” book series. Edvin Ryding joins the cast as Luca Haas, a rookie player on the Ottawa Centaurs, while Robert Naylor takes on the role of Wyatt Hayes, the team’s goalie. Both characters play alongside Connor Storrie’s returning character Ilya Rozanov and Charlie Gillespie’s upcoming character Troy Barrett. Sabrina Jalees joins the series as Farah Jalali, who works as an agent for Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov in the source material.
Additional casting brings characters from Reid’s third novel, “Tough Guy,” into the television adaptation. Emily Hampshire has been cast as Vanessa, and Priyanka will play Tarek, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the book series, Vanessa and Tarek are best friends of Fabian Salah, an aspiring musician involved in the novel’s central romance alongside hockey player Ryan Price. While casting for Fabian and Ryan remains unannounced, the inclusion of Vanessa and Tarek indicates that aspects of their storyline will factor into the upcoming season.
Production Timeline and International Release Details
Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry” will adapt material primarily from Reid’s sixth novel, “The Long Game,” which follows Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov as they navigate a committed relationship while hiding their dynamic in public, alongside elements from the concurrently set novel “Role Model” (according to The Hollywood Reporter). Production on the new season begins this month, with Crave aiming for a Spring 2027 premiere.
According to The Wrap, HBO Max will distribute Season 2 in several major territories, including the United States, Australia, Latin America, and parts of Asia and Europe (excluding the U.K., Ireland, Spain, and Turkey). The series is a Crave Original produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Series creator Jacob Tierney serves as writer, director, and executive producer, working alongside executive producers Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson, producers Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje, consulting producer Rachel Reid, and co-writer Mike Goldbach.
Previous Cast and Critical Reception
The series renewal follows a breakout first season that premiered in November 2025 and adapted Reid’s novel “Heated Rivalry,” focusing on the complex romance between generational hockey talents Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie). According to The Wrap, the first season averaged 10.6 million viewers per episode in the U.S. and earned a Peabody Award and a GLAAD Award, while Williams won a Canadian Screen Award and Storrie received a Primetime Emmy nomination for hosting “Saturday Night Live.” The new cast additions join previously announced Season 2 newcomers Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie, rounding out an ensemble that continues to draw heavily from Reid’s literary universe.
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