Heated Rivalry Season 2 Adds Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding and Three More to Cast
Five new faces are heading to the ice. Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees, and Priyanka have joined the Season 2 cast of Heated Rivalry, the Crave and HBO Max series that became a surprise cultural phenomenon after launching with little promotion in November 2025 (Variety).
The five newcomers step into named roles. Hampshire plays Vanessa. Ryding, known to international audiences from the Swedish series Young Royals, takes on Luca Haas. Naylor plays Wyatt Hayes, Jalees plays Farah Jalali, and Priyanka plays Tarek (Variety).
They arrive alongside a cast already in motion. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie return from Season 1, where they played rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov — the central pairing at the heart of the show. Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie were announced as new additions the previous week, on 7 August 2026, by Bell Media (Bell Media; Variety).
Heated Rivalry is based on the Game Changers book series by Rachel Reid, which follows the lives and relationships of professional hockey players. The television adaptation is a Crave Original — commissioned by Bell Media's streaming service Crave, with funding participation from the Canada Media Fund, a public agency that backs Canadian screen productions. International distribution is handled by Sphere Abacus, a Bell Media company (Variety).
Behind the camera, Jacob Tierney serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson also executive produce. Mike Goldbach joins for Season 2 as co-writer (Variety).
The renewal came fast. Heated Rivalry premiered on 28 November 2025 as a six-part series (Bell Media; Bell Media). By December 2025, a second season was confirmed — a quick turnaround that reflected how the show found its audience without the benefit of a large promotional push (Variety).
For fans, the expanding cast signals a widening world beyond the two players at its centre. Seven new actors have been confirmed across two casting announcements in under a week, suggesting Season 2 will spread its focus across a broader ensemble. No premiere date has been set.
