Hudson Williams (L), (Connor Storrie, “Heated Rivalry”
Production is set to officially begin next month, on August 10, 2026, for the highly anticipated second season of Heated Rivalry, targeting an April 2027 premiere across Crave, Max, and international networks.
Building on the breakout global success of its debut, the new season shifts its focus to adapt Rachel Reid’s 2022 novel The Long Game while weaving in complementary storylines from Role Model.
The narrative picks up roughly ten years into the secret relationship of hockey superstars Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) – picking up about three years after the dramatic events of the Season 1 finale.
Now seasoned veterans in Major League Hockey, Shane and Ilya face the emotional weight of maintaining a decade-long hidden romance.
Guided by returning showrunner Jacob Tierney, Season 2 dives deeper into Ilya’s personal mental health struggles, the crushing isolation of staying in the closet, and the high-stakes pressure of deciding whether to finally go public with their love, all while expanding the show’s world with new characters like Harris (Justice Smith).
Principal photography will run through December 2, 2026, filming across Toronto soundstages, Montreal, and Ottawa.
