We and everybody else are yearning to get back on the ice for Heated Rivalry season two. The Canadian-made hockey romance is officially back in production, with our favourite heartthrobs Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie spotted filming across Toronto.
They’re not the only cast members from the next season who will be popping up in town; multiple new characters are joining the ensemble, including the recently announced Daniel Diemer and Shaheen Jafargholi.
It’s expected the sophomore season will follow Ilya and Shane’s second book (the sixth in the collection, The Long Game), which finds the couple further along in their relationship. Still secretive at first, the couple will face deeper emotional stakes as they navigate long-term commitment and sporting fame.
Alongside Storrie and Williams are fellow returning cast members François Arnaud as Scott Hunter and Robbie Graham-Kuntz as Kip.
We’ll also be introduced to other key characters in this upcoming season, leading many to believe we may get a treatment similar to that of Off Campus, which introduced the second-season love story between Allie and Dean early on.
So who are the newcomers, and where do their characters fit in the Game Changers/Heated Rivalry universe?
Heated Rivalry Season Two New Cast & Characters
Justice Smith As Harris Drover & Charlie Gillespie As Troy Barrett
Harris Drover (Justice Smith) is the bubbly Social Media Manager of the Ottawa Centaurs ice hockey team, where he inevitably falls for the grumpy and brooding forward, Troy Barrett (Charlie Gillespie), who was recently traded to the team after an assault scandal.
Their love story is the central arc in the fifth book from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, titled Role Model.
While Harris is first introduced in Role Model, Troy has made small appearances in prior books, including Tough Guy and Common Goal.
The synopsis for their book reads: “Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager.”
Fans may recognise Smith from roles in The Get Down, Jurassic World and Gungeons & Dragons, while Canadian actor Gillespie is most recognisable for his role as Luke Patterson in Netflix’s Julie And The Phantoms.
Daniel Diemer As Ryan Price & Shaheen Jafargholi As Fabian Salah
Ryan(Daniel Diemer) and Fabian’s (Shaheen Jafargholi) love story plays out in the third book of the Game Changers series, Tough Guy. Ryan’s character makes a cameo in the Heated Rivalry novel, whereas Fabian is an entirely new introduction.
In their novel, hockey pro Ryan is traded to the Toronto Guardians, a move he’s treating as a fresh start. He discovers, however, that his new beginning won’t be as clean-cut as he thought when he comes across a face from his past: Fabian.
The blurb teases: “ He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and it’s clear the chemistry between them has only intensified.”
Fans may recognise Daniel Diemer for playing Benji in Netflix’s The Half Of It as well as shows The Midnight Club and Never Have I Ever. As for Welsh actor Jafargholi, you may recall his roles in EastEnders and Torchwood.
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