Heated Rivalry season 2 is no longer just a fantasy for Team Hollanov fans. After weeks of speculation, Connor Storrie has finally given a concrete tease that the Heated Rivalry show will be back, confirming on morning television that cameras should start rolling “soon” on the next chapter of the world’s top gay hockey romance.
That tease arrives on the heels of renewal news from both sides of the border, with Canadian streamer Crave and HBO Max setting expectations that Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov will be back on the ice for at least one more season, and possibly more.
Heated Rivalry season 2 is officially in the works
Heated Rivalry became a global phenomenon after its late-2025 premiere on Crave and HBO Max, combining hard-hitting sports drama with intimate, character-driven romance. The series, described as “HBO Max’s viral sensation Heated Rivalry” and “the hockey romance that broke the internet is officially skating back for more,” hit so big that Crave, the Canadian streaming service responsible for the show, confirmed a second season back in December, with HBO Max also confirming the series will return for U.S. streaming.
The renewal is not just a one-off. The show is based on Canadian writer Rachel Reid’s bestselling, soon-to-be-seven-book series Game Changers. Heated Rivalry is based on and takes its name from the second novel in the series, which was published in 2019. That deep bench of material is one reason Season 2 may only be the beginning. As one update put it, “For starters, Williams and Storrie have both reportedly signed on for three seasons, according to GQ Hype.” Fans hoping the story stretches well beyond a second season have good reason to stay optimistic.
Connor Storrie’s “soon” update on season 2 filming
The most exciting concrete news so far comes from Connor Storrie himself. Storrie, who plays Russian hockey star Ilya Rozanov, has been doing the rounds as the breakout face of the franchise. During a multi-segment appearance on the Today show, in a sit-down with host Craig Melvin that was later highlighted by outlets like The Cut and The Express Tribune, Storrie was pressed directly on when Heated Rivalry season 2 would start filming.
Storrie explained that creator Jacob Tierney is still writing the second season, but insisted that the wheels are turning. He said, “I think Jacob’s still writing it… I think we’re going to be filming,” making clear that the creative work is underway even if every script is not yet locked. When Melvin asked if that “soon” meant as early as this summer, Storrie first hedged, then agreed, answering, “Yeah, I think about then.”
In a separate description of the same exchange, Storrie expanded on how tentative things still feel from his perspective, admitting, “I think, yeah, we’re going to be filming, I think, soon. I don’t know when exactly,” but leaving no doubt that movement toward production has begun. For fans used to long multi-year gaps between seasons of prestige TV, “soon” sounds almost luxurious.
Cast, characters, and creators of the Heated Rivalry show
Any look ahead at Heated Rivalry season 2 has to start with the core pairing that made the show a sensation. The fandom’s favorite portmanteau, Team Hollanov FTW!, centers on the relationship between Canadian star Shane Hollander and his Russian rival turned lover, Ilya Rozanov.
- Connor Storrie plays Ilya Rozanov, the Russian hockey player whose complicated rivalry with Shane slowly turns into something deeper. Storrie has become one half of what one feature called “the world’s top gay hockey romance.”
- Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander, the Canadian rival and love interest at the heart of the story. In coverage of Season 2, Williams is referenced as both Shane and as a real-life partner in Storrie’s three-season commitment.
- Jacob Tierney is the creator and showrunner of Heated Rivalry. Storrie notes that “Jacob’s still writing it,” and Tierney has also spoken about how far along he is with scripts for Season 2.
- Rachel Reid wrote the Game Changers novels on which the show is based. Heated Rivalry adapts the second book, while Season 2 is expected to draw heavily from the sixth book, The Long Game.
- Craig Melvin hosted the key Today interview where Storrie’s “soon” comments came out, pressing the actor on whether filming would begin this summer.
- Olivia Craighead, a news writer for The Cut who previously wrote about pop culture and entertainment at Gawker, framed Storrie’s Today appearance as proof that fans will not have to “wait years between seasons.”
- Julie Sprankles broke down the renewal and long-game possibilities for parenting and entertainment site Scary Mommy, opening her piece with the line, “If the hot face emoji were a TV show, it would 100% be HBO Max’s viral sensation Heated Rivalry.”
Together, this combination of cast, creators, and commentators has built a uniquely intense ecosystem of coverage around a single hockey romance series.
Story direction: from Heated Rivalry to The Long Game
Season 1 of Heated Rivalry focused on the origin story of Shane and Ilya’s rivals-to-secret-lovers dynamic, pulling directly from Rachel Reid’s second Game Changers novel of the same name. For Season 2, Jacob Tierney has pointed to another part of Reid’s catalog for inspiration. Tierney told Collider that the sixth book in the series, The Long Game, will serve as the “foundational document” for the next run of episodes.
The Long Game takes Shane and Ilya past the thrill of secret hookups and into the messier business of trying to build a life together while the entire hockey world watches. Reid’s book digs into what it looks like to sustain intimacy under the pressure of elite sports careers, public scrutiny, and the compromises required to stay both true to each other and true to the game.
Tierney has signaled that Season 2 will not shy away from heavier material. As one breakdown of his comments notes, “Suffice it to say, there will be some heavier stuff coming for Team Hollanov.” On the Shut Up Evan podcast, Tierney elaborated, saying, “I think part of that is there’s definitely an element of sadness to what’s coming, of loneliness and of isolation,” before adding, “Of Ilya learning a lot about himself, and Shane learning a lot about himself too.”
Release window: late 2026 or early 2027?
Even with all the enthusiasm from cast and fans, there is still no official release date for Heated Rivalry season 2. What we do have is a rough window based on comments from both leads and the showrunner.
Hudson Williams told Variety that filming could kick off in “July or August,” a suggestion that lines up neatly with Storrie’s “about then” comment when Craig Melvin asked if “soon” meant this summer. If production really does start that early, Scary Mommy argues that “the earliest release for the show” would be in late 2026.
At the same time, Tierney himself has warned that fans should not expect an identical turnaround to Season 1. In a December interview, he reflected on how far behind he feels on scripts, saying, “It can’t be same time next year because this time last year, I’d written five of these [scripts].” That gap is why Scary Mommy also floats “early 2027” as a realistic alternative if writing and production stretch longer than hoped.
Olivia Craighead, looking at the same timeline from another angle, notes that a summer shoot would put Season 2 “on track to once again air around the holiday season,” preserving the cozy, gift-like feeling that came with the first run of episodes.
Why Heated Rivalry hit so hard — and what season 2 must deliver
Beyond raw logistics, the shape of Heated Rivalry season 2 matters because of how intensely Season 1 landed. The Express Tribune points out that the series “became a global phenomenon after its late‑2025 premiere,” while Scary Mommy frames it as “the hockey romance that broke the internet.”
Asked why the series resonates so strongly, Storrie has emphasized the emotional core of Hollanov. Reflecting on his on-screen partnership with Hudson Williams, he said that beyond the sports spectacle, “these characters really like each other. They love each other,” underscoring that the central relationship is built on deep mutual care rather than just chemistry or conflict.
That combination of high-stakes hockey, slow-burn romance, and genuine tenderness is what Season 2 has to protect. With Crave and HBO Max already on board, Game Changers providing a roadmap through The Long Game, and Connor Storrie confirming that Heated Rivalry season 2 filming is coming “soon,” the next chapter of this viral sports romance looks less like a gamble and more like an inevitability. Now it is just a matter of when, not if, we see Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov back on the ice.
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