Heated Rivalry Season 2 Officially Finds Its Troy and Harris

The ice is getting even hotter this season. The hit sports romance series Heated Rivalry has officially expanded its roster for Season 2, casting Justice Smith as Harris Drover and Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The critically acclaimed Crave original, which airs globally on HBO Max, took pop culture by storm during its debut season following the fiery, secret romance between rival hockey stars Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).

Showrunner Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady confirmed the duo’s addition as production gears up in Canada, bringing two of Rachel Reid’s most beloved Game Changers book characters straight to the screen.

How Heated Rivalry Season 2’s New Castings Will Impact the Storyline

In Rachel Reid’s literary universe, Troy Barrett and Harris Drover take center stage in the novel Role Model. Troy is a guarded hockey player who is traded to the Ottawa Centaurs after a public incident with a former teammate in Toronto. Unpacking his own struggles with the league’s toxic culture, Troy crosses paths with Harris, the Centaurs’ openly gay, endlessly supportive social media manager.

Their quiet, emotional romance runs parallel to the timeline of The Long Game, the direct sequel to Shane and Ilya’s original story. By bringing Troy and Harris into Season 2, the series moves beyond an isolated romance and transforms into an interconnected hockey universe. Shedding light on Troy and Harris’s character, the writer Tierney and executive producer Brady said, Via THR:

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.

Troy and Harris are far more than side characters. Their arrival in Season 2 directly influences Shane and Ilya’s journey. In the books, Troy’s transition to Ottawa and his growing bond with Harris serve as key touchpoints for Shane and Ilya as they navigate their own high-profile relationship.

Are you excited to see Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie join the Game Changers universe? How do you think Troy and Harris will fit into Shane and Ilya’s story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Catch Heated Rivalry Season 1 now on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the U.S.