I don't know about you, but I let out a pretty hefty sigh of relief when Heated Rivalry was officially confirmed for a second season. The first season put the world of competitive hockey on the map — and made us collectively obsessed with Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov’s intense (to put it lightly) relationship.
If, like me, you've been dreaming of taking another trip to the cabin before too long, you might be in luck. There's plenty of theories swirling around about the highly-anticipated season two — and show creator Jacob Tierney has also joined the chat. Here's everything we know so far.
Who is cast in season two?
Obviously Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are back on board for the second season.
The latest actors to join them are Daniel Diemer and Shaheen Jafargholi, playing Ryan Price Fabian Salah, respectively.
As for what we can expect from the characters, co-creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady said, "Fabian and Ryan each bring a distinctive energy to the world Rachel Reid has created. They are bold, complicated, and deeply compelling characters, and finding actors who could really take on all of those different sides was so important to us."
They continued, “Daniel and Shaheen bring such confidence and emotional honesty to the roles. We can’t wait for audiences to see what they do with Fabian and Ryan and how they make these characters their own.”
Joining them are Kevin Zegers as Coach Wiebe, Paul Gross as Commissioner Roger Crowell and Milla Jovovich as Dr. Galina Molchalina. There's also Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie who will play Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, respectively. Harris and Troy are the focal couple in the book Role Model, which is the fifth instalment in Rachel Reid's Game Changers books.
There's also a further five additions to the season two cast, including Emily Hampshire, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees, and Priyanka. As for who they'll be playing, Naylor has been tapped for Wyatt Hayes, the starting goalie for the Ottawa Centaurs (and a popular side character in the books). Elsewhere, Hampshire will play Vanessa, Ryding will play Luca Haas, Jalees will play Farah Jalali, and Priyanka will playu Tarek.
Jack Innanen, who you might recognised from Adults, previously teased his involvement, telling Entertainment Tonight, "I've had some... conversations. We've chatted." Adding fuel to the rumour mill flame, Innanen is also Canadian, and reportedly has ice hockey experience. But sadly that flame has now been extinguished, with new reports that say Innanen was actually offered a lead role, but forced to turn it down for scheduling reasons. Heartbreaking.
Apparently season two and three are being filmed at the same time
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Incredible news honestly. We're getting closer to not only season two but three, too. This was revealed by actor on the show Dylan Walsh (Ilya's dad in the series) who announced on a personalised cameo video, "Getting ready to go back up to Canada to shoot some more episodes, so I think we’re doing 12 this time". While some people are quick to jump on and assume we're getting six extra episodes in season two, fans have explained that Francois Arnaud stated in January that they were filming season two and three at the same time – so double the episodes.
Which book is season two based on?
If you're well-acquainted with Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, you'll know that season one is primarily based on the second book, Heated Rivalry, and also incorporates elements from the first book, Game Changer.
Season two, then, should draw on the book The Long Game — but according to Tierney, there might be too much material to fit into a single season. Speaking to Deadline, Tierney hinted, “Who said I’m doing it all? There’s a lot of material.” However, we also know that the new season will incorporate parts of of Role Model, given the characters Harris and troy have now been cast. If that means more episodes this season, we're on board...
What is season two about?
Tierney also spilled some details of what we can expect from the upcoming season, including how he interpreted the source novel.
“When I talked to Rachel for the first time about Heated Rivalry, I wanted to take this seriously because I think that’s what this material deserves. There’s a version of it that’s pulpy and soapy, but I wanted to take it seriously because I am really transfixed by this relationship,” he told Deadline.
“Part of what transfixed me was knowing where it was going with The Long Game. Rachel took them very seriously, and these little tidbits in the first book become real issues for them [later]. The Long Game is like sex Scenes from a Marriage. I don’t want to say we are making Bergman here, but you’ve got your happy ending, you’re in love, you get to be in a relationship. But, as most adults know, you think that’s when it gets easy? It’s not. That’s when it gets hard. That’s when you have to make real decisions. That’s when real life can often smack you in the face.”
Season two could be darker than season one
In another recent interview, Tierney let slip that the stakes will be higher in season two. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at BookCon 2026, he described The Long Game as “an emotionally sophisticated book that takes this couple seriously."
He continued, “It really is different, and the challenge, from an adaptation standpoint, is you’re in much more serious territory. There’s still lots of flirting, and there’s lots of sex, but it’s this kind of danger. This kind of ‘hotel room, adolescent sex’ stuff is largely gone.”
A potentially bigger Scott and Kip storyline
While Ilya and Shane are obviously the focus, it was hard to ignore the blossoming romance between Scott and Kip in season one.
According to Robbie G.K., who played Kip, there could be potential for more where that came from in season two.
“We catch Scott and Kip on the very top of the rollercoaster of our storyline, and I think that there’s a whole lot that could be explored after the fact,” he told People. “So I’d like to see some of that.” So would we.
When will it come out?
Filming is scheduled for August 2026, and the show should hit our screens in April 2027. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Feature image via Instagram.
