The world of hockey romance is abuzz once more as five fresh faces are set to appear in Crave’s popular series, Heated Rivalry.
Emily Hampshire, a well-known Canadian actress, will take on the role of Vanessa, a character who works at a sex shop. Joining her will be Sabrina Jalees, a Canadian comedian and actress portraying sports agent Farah Jalali, and the talented drag queen Priyanka as Tarek, an office assistant.
Hampshire is recognized for her performances in the sitcom Schitt’s Creek and the TV series 12 Monkeys, while Jalees previously hosted the radio and web show Laugh Out Loud and wrote for Canada’s Got Talent. Priyanka gained fame by winning the first season of Canada’s Drag Race.
Additionally, the cast includes Robert Naylor, a Canadian actor and musician playing goaltender Wyatt Hayes, and Edvin Ryding, a Swedish actor portraying rookie hockey player Luca Haas.
Naylor, recognized for voicing D.W. Read in the animated series Arthur, and Ryding, known for his role as Prince Wilhelm in Netflix’s Young Royals, complete the ensemble.
The announcement of the new cast members was shared on Instagram on Thursday. Crave confirmed that season two of Heated Rivalry will continue to follow the love story of hockey rivals-turned-lovers Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov from Rachel Reid’s sixth novel, The Long Game, part of the Game Changer series.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will reprise their lead roles in the TV adaptation.
The first season of the show covered the first two books in Reid’s series, Game Changer and Heated Rivalry.
With the new casting announcement, it is anticipated that the third novel, Tough Guy, will also be adapted. Vanessa and Tarek are associated with Fabian Salah, the love interest of hockey player Ryan Price in Tough Guy.
The upcoming season will also integrate the stories of Troy Barrett, a hockey player traded to Ilya’s
