Heated Rivalry Season 2 adds six to cast for 2027 return
Heated Rivalry will return with six new faces on the roster for its second season.
The hockey drama will be back on HBO Max in spring 2027. The new casting was reported by Deadline on 16 September.
Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson, Gerry Dee, Michelle Mylett, Lauren Chan and Nick Stahl join the ensemble. They step into the story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, the rival professional players whose private relationship powered season one.
Season one centred on Hollander and Rozanov. They are stars on opposing teams. Their clash on the ice sits alongside a secret connection off it.
Morgan will play Zane Boodram. Tomlinson will play Cody Kent. That second role carries a change for readers of the books. The character appeared as Dallas Kent in Rachel Reid's Game Changer book series, the set of novels behind the show, and has been renamed Cody for television.
Dee will play Coach Cooper. Mylett will play Lisa. Chan will play Gen. Stahl will play Curtis Barrett. No further story detail for the new roles has been released.
The series is commissioned by Bell Media's Crave, meaning Crave ordered and funds the production, with participation from the Canada Media Fund, a funding organisation. That structure is common in Canadian television. It keeps a domestic service as the home commission while public funds support the budget. Viewers in Canada watch through Crave. HBO Max is the announced home for the new run.
Writer and director Jacob Tierney also acts as executive producer, the role that oversees both creative choices and the day-to-day running of the show. In television, that credit means final say on scripts, casting and edit. It is both a creative and a management job. He led season one and continues in the same posts for season two.
Distribution outside Canada is handled by Sphere Abacus, the sales company that licenses the show to broadcasters and streamers in other markets. In practice, that means one sale per territory. A local streamer or channel then offers the show under its own brand. The series is available in more than 130 countries through those deals.
The six join a growing second-season cast. Bell Media said on 3 September that Kevin Zegers, Paul Gross and Milla Jovovich had also joined the Crave original, according to Bell Media.
For fans, this means a wider world around Hollander and Rozanov. New teammates, coaches and family members open more ice time. The puck drops in spring 2027.
