Heated Rivalry Creator Confirms The Season 2 Relationship He’s Most Excited To Adapt

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Please be aware that this contains slight spoilers for Rachel Reid’s novel, The Long Game, which is the basis for season 2 of Heated Rivalry. Jacob Tierney, the creator of Heated Rivalry, is planning to focus on a unique relationship dynamic in the upcoming season.

Based on Rachel Reid’s popular Game Changers novels, the hockey series Heated Rivalry quickly became a hit after debuting on Crave and HBO Max in November 2025. The show centers on the evolving relationship between Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), star players for Montreal and Boston. Over the course of the first six episodes, their connection develops from a casual friends-with-benefits arrangement into a serious romance.

However, Tierney seems even more enthusiastic about a different relationship for the second season. In an interview with Pink News, he shared that he’s particularly excited to adapt the dynamic between Hayden Pike (Callan Potter) and Ilya, which is featured in The Long Game, the second book in the Hollander-Rozanov series by author Reid.

I haven’t finalized my plans yet, but I definitely want to include a wedding – something as sweet as the one I envision for Shane and Ilya, maybe even with their kids involved. That’s one thing I’m sure of. I just want to keep some flexibility for now. But a wedding will absolutely happen. Honestly, I’m most excited about writing Ilya and Hayden in the next season. Their comedic chemistry and constant bickering are going to be really entertaining.

Hayden Pike is Shane’s best friend and teammate on the Montreal team. While he supports Shane’s relationship, he struggles to reconcile the Ilya Rozanov he knows as a hockey player with the man Shane sees. This tension doesn’t cause major problems, but the author, Reid, uses it for humor in her books, and Tierney appears to want to do the same.

Ilya is moving to Ottawa to be near his friend Shane, which will also bring him close to Hayden Pike and his family. This will create a complicated but loving relationship between Ilya and Hayden, particularly with Hayden’s four young children. While the show’s writer, Tierney, is still working on season two, she confirms that this dynamic will be explored and includes at least one heartwarming scene.

Production on season 2 of Heated Rivalry is planned to start this summer, with the new season expected to be released in the spring. While details are limited, Tierney has hinted at new characters joining the show, including Troy Barrett, a teammate of Ilya’s who is also the subject of his own book, Role Model, part of the Game Changers series.

It’s still unclear how much of the novel The Long Game will actually make it into the adaptation. The book is quite lengthy and covers a significant time in Shane and Ilya’s relationship, so it could potentially be divided into two parts. Meanwhile, the author is already planning a third book about Shane and Ilya, called Unrivaled, which is expected to be published in 2027.

Everyone is already eagerly awaiting the second season of Heated Rivalry, and it’s shaping up to be a major television event of 2027. The series instantly made stars out of Williams and Storrie, and since then, they’ve become incredibly visible, appearing at award shows, fashion events, and on magazine covers.

Between filming seasons, both actors have worked on other projects. Storrie will be in the A24 film Peaked, alongside Molly Gordon, and Williams will star in the Crave miniseries Yaga, which is based on a play by Kat Sandler. Interest in the play surged after Williams was cast, and copies quickly sold out. Storrie also recently hosted Saturday Night Live, with a guest appearance by Williams.

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2026-03-24 19:10