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Excitement is building once more in the hockey romance genre. Crave’s upcoming production of Heated Rivalry has expanded its lineup with five additional actors.
Canadian performer Emily Hampshire has been cast as Vanessa, an employee at an adult boutique, while Canadian comic and actress Sabrina Jalees will portray athletic agent Farah Jalali, and drag star Priyanka will step into the role of Tarek, an administrative aide.
Hampshire gained widespread recognition for her performances in the comedy series Schitt’s Creek and the television drama 12 Monkeys. Jalees previously fronted the digital and radio program Laugh Out Loud and contributed as a writer to Canada’s Got Talent.
Priyanka emerged as the inaugural champion of the reality competition series Canada’s Drag Race.
Additional casting updates include Canadian musician and actor Robert Naylor, who will embody netminder Wyatt Hayes, and Swedish performer Edvin Ryding, taking on the role of first-year player Lucas Haas.
Naylor is recognized as the voice talent behind D.W. Read in the cartoon Arthur, whereas Ryding is celebrated for his portrayal of Prince Wilhelm in the Netflix drama Young Royals.
The fresh casting details were shared via an Instagram update on Thursday.
According to Crave, the sophomore season of Heated Rivalry will keep tracking the romance between former ice rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, drawing from The Long Game, which is the sixth entry in Rachel Reid’s Game Changer book series. This collection consists of interconnected sports romance novels set within a shared world where character arcs frequently cross.
Lead actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are set to return to their central roles for this television screen adaptation.
The debut season of the television series adapted the initial two entries of Reid’s literary series, Game Changer and Heated Rivalry.
Following these latest casting revelations, expectations are high that the third book, Tough Guy, will also be brought to the screen. The characters Vanessa and Tarek are closely associated with Fabian Salah, who becomes involved with player Ryan Price in the narrative of Tough Guy.
The upcoming second installment will also weave in the narrative of Troy Barrett, a professional player transferred to Ilya’s roster, along with social media specialist Harris Dover, both of whom originate from the fifth book in the franchise, Role Model.
On August 7, Crave revealed that Justice Smith had secured the role of Harris, while Charlie Gillespie, recognized for his role in Julie and the Phantoms, was cast as Troy.
The second season of Heated Rivalry is scheduled to make its debut in the spring of 2027.
