Heated Rivalry: Actors, characters, and gay storylines guide (updated)

This rivalry gets puckin' heated.

Based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers series of novels, this six-episode TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry is helmed by out director Jacob Tierney (Shoresy, Letterkenny) and features queer talent both on and off camera.

Ready to break the ice? Here's everything you need to know about the gay storylines, characters, actors, social media pages, and new updates concerning the cast and crew of Heated Rivalry.

What is Heated Rivalry based on?

Most of the six novels in Rachel Reid's Game Changers literary franchise focus on different characters/lead couples who have their own standalone stories (not all, but more on that later!). Thus, it's worth noting that the story of lust and love between Shane and Ilya, as seen on the Crave/HBO Max TV show, comes from book 2 in Reid's series, Heated Rivalry, originally published in 2019.

The publishing timeline of the Game Changers series of novels is as follows:

• Book 1: Game Changer
• Book 2: Heated Rivalry
• Book 3: Tough Guy
• Book 4: Common Goal
• Book 5: Role Model
• Book 6: The Long Game

Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid, a proud resident of Nova Scotia, Canada and a lifelong hockey fan, has clarified that none of the queer hockey players in her books have been inspired by real-life athletes.

"I've been a hockey fan since the eighties, long enough to be very familiar with the different general types of hockey players," Reid has written on her website. "One of my inspirations for Heated Rivalry was, obviously, the extremely entertaining rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin. But I was also inspired by other sports rivalries, by other fictional stories, and by my love of the enemies-to-lovers and forbidden romance tropes."

The author is also open about having Parkinson's Disease. "I don't mind talking about it and I love to joke about it," Reid has also written on her website. "It's objectively a very silly disease. Right now I'm still comfortable signing my name and maybe a personalization but I can't write longer inscriptions in books anymore."

Heated Rivalry: How many episodes are left?

After the explosive two-episode premiere of Heated Rivalry, the series has been releasing weekly new episodes every Friday on HBO Max at 12 p.m. ET.

Check out the Heated Rivalry season 1 episode guide below, which includes the titles and release dates for all six episodes.

• Episode 1, "Rookies": Friday, November 28
• Episode 2, "Olympians": Friday, November 28
• Episode 3, "Hunter": Friday, December 5
• Episode 4, "Rose": Friday, December 12
• Episode 5, "I'll Believe in Anything": Friday, December 19
• Episode 6, "The Cottage": Friday, December 26

Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander.

From Vancouver, Canada, Hudson Williams is best known for playing Brandon on Tracker, Junior on Allegiance, Sean on Nobody Dumps My Daughter, and Jason on Devil Makes Three. Starring as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry, Williams is certainly experiencing a career breakout by portraying the main character in the series.

Williams has discussed in past interviews that his mother, who is of Asian descent, had concerns about his acting career.

"When I told [my mom] that I was going to be an actor, she says it scared her, because she thought her being an Asian lady… that it would kind of limit my possibilities for roles I could get. She hadn't really seen people like her on the screen," Williams said during a panel for Heated Rivalry.

In the duality between the two main characters of Heated Rivalry, Shane Hollander is more of the overachieving athlete with a flawless reputation in professional hockey. As the captain of the Montreal Meteors (named Montreal Voyageurs in the original novel), he is also adored by sports media outlets.

Shane grows up in a loving family — mom is Japanese-American, dad is Canadian — and struggles with his sexuality due to always being so responsible and committed to a hockey career that could be blown up to pieces if he were found out to be gay.

Instagram: @hudsonwilliamsofficial

Connor Storrie plays Ilya Rozanov.

Connor Storrie is also reaping the benefits of landing a breakout role on Heated Rivalry as the cocky and irresistible Ilya Rozanov. The 25-year-old actor is best known for playing Baxter in April X, a young inmate in Joker: Folie à Deux, Liam Hauser in Riley, and Tom in Headless Horseman.

In interviews, Storrie discussed the physical transformation that he went through in order to embody a character like Ilya, who's described in the book as being very different from how the actor actually is. Storrie also told Etalk that he's always been fascinated by Russian culture and language as a clear juxtaposition from how things are in America.

Ilya Rozanov is, in many ways, Shane Hollander's complete opposite. He comes off as someone who is entirely confident, and even arrogant at times, as captain of the Boston Raiders (named Boston Bears in the original novel). However, there are plenty of complications under that hard exterior.

A big part of Ilya's personality is influenced by having a cold, distant, dismissive family from Russia, a country that still has intense anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in place. Even though Ilya feels secure about his bisexuality and has hooked up with both men and women, he's very aware that coming out to the world could not only damage his career, but also his ability to travel back home to visit Russia.

Instagram: @connorstorrieofficial

Here's what to know about Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's love story on the Heated Rivalry TV show.

The story that unfolds in the Heated Rivalry novel takes place between 2008 and 2017. The book starts when Shane and Ilya meet for the first time at a championship and follows them for almost a decade after that.

Overall, the story navigates the lives of these two professional athletes who must remain closeted in order to continue landing sponsorships and being successful in their careers. These themes are approached in a way that feels modern and realistic: Public feuds, media frenzies, and endorsement deals are all tackled to varying degrees.

RELATED: All 12 sex scenes on Heated Rivalry (so far), ranked

While Reid's book can be sweet, heartfelt, and even poignant in how it addresses the relationship between athletes and money, the Heated Rivalry novel received even more praise for not shying away from explicit sex scenes. Longtime fans of the books had been fearful that a TV show adaptation would wash out most of the risqué scenes of the books. Thankfully, that did not happen — with the show being just as "horny" as its source of inspiration.

The pressures of performing masculinity, dealing with internalized homophobia, and constantly choosing between a better career or personal life are all realities that challenge these characters throughout the story. For instance, it doesn't take long for them to assign nicknames for each other on their phones. Ilya, on Shane's phone, is nicknamed "Lily." Shane, on Ilya's phone, is nicknamed "Jane."

Heated Rivalry season 2: Everything we know so far.

Producers have officially confirmed that Heated Rivalry season 2 is happening in a press release shared on Friday, December 12 — that same day that episode 4 of the series, "Rose," dropped on both Crave and HBO Max.

The announcement from Bella Media, Crave's parent company, reads:

"Crave's latest original series, Heated Rivalry, produced in partnership with Accent Aigu Entertainment, has exploded onto the scene, officially becoming Crave's No. 1 original series debut on record in the first seven-day streams, increasing its viewership by nearly 400 percent since the premiere on Friday, Nov. 28.

Following its record-setting launch and remarkable audience response, Crave also announces the series has been renewed for a second season, cementing its place as one of the platform's signature franchises."

Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney wrote in a statement alongside executive producer Brendan Brady:

"Watching our show become an international phenomenon has been extraordinary. We're profoundly grateful to everyone that has been on this journey with us. Being renewed for a second season so early is a true honor, and we can't wait to bring you even more of what you love."

HBO Max, the U.S. distribution of Heated Rivalry, also shared a video with lead stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie officially announcing that the gay hockey series would return for season 2.

A particularly telling moment of the video shows Storrie, who plays Ilya in the TV series, telling fans: "Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourself."

RELATED: How Heated Rivalry went from the page to the screen

There was never any real doubt that Heated Rivalry season 2 would focus on anything else other than The Long Game, which is the next book that follows Shane and Ilya's love story. A lead actor saying it out loud in a video that confirms season 2 of the show makes that even more evident.

The Long Game, here we come!

​François Arnaud plays Scott Hunter.

François Arnaud has been an out bisexual man since 2020, when he disclosed his sexual orientation in a thoughtful social media post related to Bisexual Visibility Day. On the Heated Rivalry TV series, the actor plays Scott Hunter: A professional hockey player who happens to be the protagonist of Reid's first book in the Game Changers series of novels.

Over the years, Arnaud starred in projects such as Twinless, Blindspot, UnREAL, Yellowjackets, The Borgias, and Midnight, Texas, to name a few. In May 2024, Arnaud played a love interest in between Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus in the country singer's music video for "How Far Will We Take It?"

Instagram: @francoisarnaud

Robbie G.K. plays Kip Grady.

The Heated Rivalry TV show also features an exciting appearance from Kip Grady, a fan-favorite character who's the love interest of Scott Hunter (Arnaud) in Reid's first book, Game Changer. On TV, that character is played by actor Robbie G.K.

Previously, Robbie G.K. was best known for playing Riley on Overcompensating, Simon Carpenter in Marry F*** Kill, Tempo 3 on Utopia Falls, and Charlie on The Next Step.

Instagram: @robsgk

Overview of Scott Hunter and Kip Grady's love story on the Heated Rivalry TV show.

Heated Rivalry episode 3, led by actors François Arnaud (as Scott Hunter) and Robbie G.K. (as Kip Grady), was released on Friday, December 5 on HBO Max. This chapter was a one-episode story arc honoring the novel that kickstarted this entire franchise… And the fans ate it up.

RELATED: Heated Rivalry: Scott isn't actually clocking Shane, actor says

The third episode of Heated Rivalry (TV show) centers on the relationship between Scott and Kip, thus covering the events from the first book, Game Changer, in Reid's literary series. Fans were excited about book 1 getting a dedicated episode instead of leaving Scott on the sidelines and the potential for Kip to not even appear in this live-action adaptation at all. In fact, some viewers loved episode 3 so much that they now want an entire spinoff dedicated to the love story that builds up between these two characters.

Are Scott Hunter and Kip Grady getting a spinoff?

Given that Heated Rivalry season 2 will very likely focus on the events of The Long Game — book 6 in Reid's novel series, which focuses on Shane and Ilya once again — viewers who fell in love with Scott and Kip wondered if the new season could also make room for this beloved couple. Or perhaps a Scott and Kip spinoff could also be in the works?

There are still no details about whether or not Scott and Kip's story in this live-action adaptation will be featured in a second season of Heated Rivalry or through an entirely separate spinoff dedicated just to their romance. Either way, the future is looking brighter for this franchise overall.

Kolton Stewart plays Carter Vaughn.

Scott Hunter and Carter Vaughn are heavily featured in the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry as best friends who are constantly hanging out together. On the show, Carter is played by Kolton Stewart, otherwise known for starring in projects like Some Assembly Required, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, and Disenchanted, to name a few.

Instagram: @koltonstewart

Callan Potter plays Hayden Pike.

Hayden Pike isn't just another hockey player on Shane Hollander's team. In fact, he happens to be Shane's closest friend on Heated Rivalry. As the series goes on, try to keep an eye out for the dynamics between Hayden (as Shane's best friend) and Ilya (and Shane's love interest). Are these two guys going to get along right away as they examine their places in Shane's life? Stay tuned!

On Crave/HBO Max's Heated Rivalry TV series, the character is played by Callan Potter, who's been in Workin' Moms, Zombie Town, The Other Kingdom, Riot Girls, and Murdoch Mysteries, to name a few.

Instagram: @cal_potter

Harrison Browne plays Connors.

Harrison Browne — a hockey player who came out as a trans man in 2016 and went on to become the first out transgender professional hockey player in history — also stars on Heated Rivalry as a character named Connors.

Connors is the first person among Ilya's teammates to bring up the photos, videos, and reports of Shane and Rose's very public relationship, which are splattered all over celebrity-culture news outlets, as seen on Heated Rivalry episode 4.

RELATED: Heated Rivalry star Harrison Browne unpacks coming out as trans and historic hockey career

Besides his appearance on the Crave/HBO Max series, Browne reflected on coauthoring a book titled Let Us Play and making his debut as director, writer, and star of the short film Pink Light, both of which also came out in 2025. The latter is also being turned into a feature film, which is currently in development.

"I'm in the process of developing a feature and we just got funding for a portion of it," Browne told Out in an interview. "It has empowered me to feel, especially as an actor, to not feel like I have to wait for something. It's really been life-changing."

Instagram: @hbrowne24

​Christina Chang plays Yuna Hollander, and Dylan Walsh plays David Hollander.

Shane's parents, Yuna and David Hollander, are played by actors Christina Chang and Dylan Walsh on Heated Rivalry. While it's wonderful for Shane to have such supportive parents who are invested in his future, their intense encouragement often translates into an even higher level of pressure for Shane to be the best and biggest hockey star that he can possibly be… which complicates things for the character while navigating his sexuality and hiding his relationship with Ilya.

RELATED: 'Heated Rivalry' breaks the internet: Gays react to horny hockey show

Walsh's noteworthy acting credits include Dr. Sean McNamara on Nip/Tuck, General Sam Lane on The CW's Superman & Lois, Morgan on The Lake House, and Mayor Peter Chase on Blue Bloods. Meanwhile, Chang is best known for playing Dr. Audrey Lim on The Good Doctor, Taylor in Live Free or Die Hard, Dr. Sunny Macer on 24, and Megan Vannoy on Nashville.

Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova plays Svetlana Vetrova.

Svetlana Vetrova, played by Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, is a friend and occasional lover in Ilya's life. In many ways, Svetlana represents an easier life that Ilya could have if he committed to a relationship with a woman who also came from Russia, was very independent, and didn't even have issues with Ilya's bisexuality.

Kharlamova's past acting credits include Robyn Hood, The Boys, Downsizing, and A Very Jonas Christmas Movie, among others.

Instagram: @daniela.xk

Kaden Connors plays Sasha.

Kaden Connors, who's starred in projects like The Wrong Paris, Foragers, Wild Cards, and His & Hers, has been cast to play Sasha on Heated Rivalry. During Ilya's first trip to Russia in the series, it doesn't take long for fans to see that Sasha can get quite handsy.

Instagram: @kadenconnors

​Yaroslav Poverlo plays Grigori Rozanov.

Yaroslav Poverlo plays Grigori Rozanov, Ilya's father, on Heated Rivalry. The character is properly introduced during Ilya's trip to Russia, and clues about Grigori seemingly suffering from memory loss are also introduced pretty early on the show.

As audiences had come to suspect, Grigori is indeed a pretty tough and conservative father with whom Ilya doesn't have the warmest relationship with… Even if the character wasn't experiencing any memory loss.

​Slavic Rogozine plays Alexei Rozanov.

Another character quickly introduced in the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry is Ilya's brother, Alexei Rozanov, played by actor Slavic Rogozine. This first scene between Ilya and Alexei already establishes the sibling as someone who is known to call asking for money.

On the other hand, the TV series immediately shows Alexei looking back at a woman caring for a baby, hinting that there's probably more depth to this story than just spending a lot of money and asking for more.

Instagram: @slavicrogozine

​Benjamin Roy plays JJ Dagenais.

Benjamin Roy portrays JJ Dagenais — another teammate of Shane's — on the show. Roy's acting credits prior to Heated Rivalry include Clouds, STAT, and Dinherio.

Instagram: @simplyzenben

Aidan Shaw plays Kolya.

Aidan Shaw, known his roles as Michael Deangelo in Youngblood and Jeff Ellis (young version) on Locke & Key, also plays one of Shane's teammates, named Kolya, on Heated Rivalry.

Instagram: @aidanshaww

Nadine Bhabha plays Elena Rygg.

Elena Rygg is Kip Grady's best friend on Heated Rivalry. She keeps it real, too, which is actually very valuable when it comes to matters of "Skip" (the fans' ship name for Scott and Kip as a couple).

The character, played by Nadine Bhabha, got lots of praise after breaking things down for both Kip and Scott, highlighting how their relationship is simply not working.

Instagram: @nadinebhabs

Brandon Ash Mohammed plays Shawn.

Another close friend of Kip's, Shawn, is played by the hilarious Brandon Ash-Mohammed.

The comedian and writer has contributed to several seasons of Canada's Drag Race, and even wrote in animated shows like Doomlands. Here, though, Ash-Mohammed simply stars as one of Kip's friends (who also occasionally works with him in catering for events).

Instagram: @brandonamcomedy

Bianca Nugara plays Maria.

Played by Bianca Nugara, Maria works at the same smoothie shop as Kip Grady. She is the first person to see him interacting with Scott Hunter, and can obviously tell that something is going on between them from the very beginning.

Though Kip intensely denies it and hides his relationship with Scott as much as possible, Maria is on the case, and she doesn't miss a single clue.

Instagram: @biancanugara

Matthew Finlan plays Kyle Swift.

Matthew Finlan plays Kyle Swift on the show, who seems like the preferred bartender for Kip Grady and his friends. He's as confused as Kip's friends upon seeing Kip so intensely invested in hockey… Seemingly out of nowhere.

Kyle doesn't say much, but he does play an integral part in Kip's early days with Scott Hunter.

Instagram: @matthewfinlan

Sophie Nélisse plays Rose Landry.

Heated Rivalry episode 4 introduces viewers to Rose Landry, a rising starlet who's filming a new action movie, X-Squad, and starts dating hockey superstar and Montreal Metros captain Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams).

Even though this character is someone who the fans actively root against — in the interest of Shane preserving is love story with Ilya — Rose is skillfully brought to life by actress Sophie Nélisse, best known for playing Shauna (as a teenager) on Yellowjackets, Aster in The Rest of Us, and Stéphane on L'Indétectable.

Instagram: @sophie__nelisse

Devante Senior plays Miles.

Devante Senior plays Rose's supposed best friend, Miles, who seemingly flirts with men at all times. Despite the understanding that this is Rose's best friend — and that Shane is not an out gay man — Miles flirts on Shane on basically every single scene that they have together on Heated Rivalry episode 4, which is when this character is introduced.

Instagram: @devante.swayyy

Franco Lo Presti plays Cliff Marleau.

Played by Franco Lo Presti on Heated Rivalry, Cliff Marleau is one of Ilya's teammates who actually gets to bond with the Russian hockey star. Cliff is certainly a recurring character, but he does show up enough times as they travel together, as a team, to another game, or spend time chatting in in the locker room.

Considering that Ilya isn't a man of too many friends, it feels good to see that he's made at least one acquaintance/peer at this point.

Does Shane and Ilya's love story end on Heated Rivalry?

Editor's note: Potential spoilers ahead.

After setting up the love story between Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander in the Heated Rivalry novel (book 2 in the overall literary series), these characters get a sequel in The Long Game novel (book 6, and the final installment in the Game Changers series of novels so far).

Author Rachel Reid not only wrote The Long Game as a sequel for Shane and Ilya, but also as the final book in this saga of stories about enemies-to-lovers in the world of hockey. We now that Heated Rivalry season 2 is happening, but it's still not clear if the subsequent season will explore only certain parts of The Long Game to leave room for a third season. There is also the hope for Scott and Kip's love story to continue in the live-action TV adaptation, so a lot of different factors are up in the air as of this writing.

Without giving too much away: Yes, that follow-up novel does give Shane and Ilya's romance a more definitive ending, and it is a happy one. However, given that hit TV show adaptations of popular novels — projects like Netflix's Orange Is the New Black and HBO's Big Little Lies — created entirely different continuations and endings for the stories they adapted, it's hard to gauge at the moment how the Heated Rivalry TV show will conclude.