Ilya Rosanov and Shane Hollander’s romance in Heated Rivalry captured the imagination of the world upon its release in 2025 – and now season 2 is on its way.

Based on the Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, viewers fell in love with the Russian and Canadian hockey players who, despite being on rival teams, found romance away from the game.

Then there’s also Scott Hunter, another player whose undeniable connection with smoothie shop worker Kip Grady forced him to reckon with his long-hidden sexuality as well.

With season two confirmed to be on the way, unfortunately for fans there’s a bit of a wait involved before the ice hockey romances get back on the ice.

Thankfully, there’s still plenty of info about what’s coming up. Here’s what we know so far.

It’s already been confirmed that season 2 of Heated Rivalry will focus on another of Rachel Reid’s books, The Long Game – the only other book in the series that centres on Ilya and Shane.

In The Long Game, Shane and Ilya handle the idea of their relationship going public, first with their teams, and then to the wider world.

To make their relationship work, Ilya moves on to a team in Ottawa, while Shane remains with Montreal, and they establish a public relationship as co-founders of a charity.

But behind the scenes, other pressures begin to form – particularly with Ilya, who finds himself struggling with his mental health.

Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya on the show, noted to Entertainment Weekly: “I'm interested to play at the dynamic that develops in The Long Game, which is, now that we've established we're together and we're choosing this, what does that look like to consistently choose through new obstacles, new self-realisations?

"We're in the real leagues now, and it's cool to watch these people that have been in this heightened reality for so long. The other shoe drops that deepens the love, but that also tests some of their personal limits."

On top of this, it’s been confirmed that the story will start incorporating elements of Role Model, another book in the series, introducing characters Troy Barrett and Harris Drover, whose blossoming relationship also starts forming thanks to ice hockey.

It has been confirmed that Hudson Williams (Allegiance, Tracker) and Connor Storrie (Joker: Folie á Deux, April X) will be back as central couple Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov for season two.

It is expected that most of the cast will also be back as their love story continues too.

This includes:

• François Arnaud (The Borgias, Yellowjackets) as Scott Hunter

• Robbie G.K. (Overcompensating, Utopia Falls) as Kip Grady

• Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova (Downsizing, Robyn Hood) as Svetlana Vetrova

• Callan Potter (The Other Kingdom, Working Moms) as Hayden Pike

• Christina Chang (The Good Doctor, Unstable) as Yuna Hollander

• Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck, Superman & Lois) as David Hollander

• Nadine Bhabha (Letterkenny, One More Time) as Elena

• Franco Lo Presti (Bad Blood, Chucky) as Cliff Marleau

• Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets, The Rest of Us) as Rose Landry

In August 2026, it was confirmed that two new characters will be joining the show in leading roles.

• Justice Smith (I Saw The TV Glow, Detective Pikachu) as Harris Drover

• Charlie Gillespie (Julie and the Phantoms, Totally Killer) as Troy Barrett

Both characters are the leads in Role Model, another novel from Rachel Reid’s book series which doesn’t focus on Shane and Ilya (whose story only spans Heated Rivalry and The Long Game).

On the announcement, Jacob Tierney (writer, director, and executive producer) and Brendan Brady (executive producer) said: “Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for.

“From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen. Justice and Charlie do exactly that.

“They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”

Find out more about the cast and characters here.

Heated Rivalry season 2 has been confirmed to return in Spring 2027.

Production began in late July 2026, but a cemented release date is not yet known.

Explaining the timespan between the two, showrunner and writer Jacob Tierney noted to Variety: “We understand that everybody’s goal is to not do two years between seasons,” he said. “And at the same time, I don’t want to put out a rushed s* second season just because the show is very popular.

“But we’re very aware that our creative partners are enthusiastic and don’t want to wait too long. We’re getting back to work!”

Filming is expected to commence in spring 2026.

We will update you when we know more!

Season 1 of Heated Rivalry is now available in full on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

You can also watch the series on streaming service NOW.

It is available on Crave in Canada, and HBO Max in the US.