Kelowna-born ‘Heated Rivalry’ star returns as co-star fuels Season 2 speculation
Hudson Williams, left, stars as Shane Hollander alongside Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov in Crave’s “Heated Rivalry.”
Photo: Crave/Bell Media.
Kelowna-born, Kamloops-raised actor Hudson Williams is returning to Heated Rivalry as filming gets underway on the second season of the Canadian hockey romance — while a comment from one of his co-stars has raised questions about how much of the series may be in production.
Williams returns as Shane Hollander alongside Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov. Crave announced Thursday that five additional actors are joining the Season 2 cast: Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and Priyanka.
The announcement comes as Dylan Walsh, who plays Shane’s father David Hollander, has drawn attention for a comment made in a Cameo video recorded for a fan.
Walsh said he was preparing to return to Canada to film more episodes before adding, “I think we’re doing 12 this time.”
The number immediately stood out.
The first season of Heated Rivalry consisted of six episodes. Series creator Jacob Tierney told the Los Angeles Times in February that he did not see himself making more than six episodes per season and declined to say whether Rachel Reid’s The Long Game would be adapted across one season or two.
That combination has prompted speculation that Walsh’s reference to 12 episodes could mean more than one season is being filmed or that the material could be divided in another way.
No official episode count for Season 2 has been announced.
Walsh later told Entertainment Weekly that he had been speaking “off the cuff” and should not have speculated about either the production schedule or episode count.
“I don’t have any official information to announce,” Walsh said in the statement, adding that he was sorry for creating confusion for the production and fans.
Entertainment Weekly also reported that Walsh’s Cameo account was subsequently made unavailable for personalized videos until August 2027. The publication, which viewed the account, said a message on his profile indicated he was stepping away after the video went viral and “got me in trouble.”
While the episode count remains uncertain, considerably more is now known about who will appear in the new season.
Hampshire will play Vanessa, Ryding will appear as Luca Haas, Naylor as Wyatt Hayes, Jalees as Farah Jalali and Priyanka as Tarek. They join Williams, Storrie and previously announced newcomers Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie.
The series was created by Tierney and is based on Reid’s Game Changers books. Season 1 followed rival professional hockey players Shane and Ilya as a secret relationship that began when they were rookies developed over several years.
Williams has a close connection to B.C.’s Southern Interior. He was born in Kelowna and raised in Kamloops before attending Langara College in Vancouver, where he graduated from the Film Arts acting program in 2020.
His role as Shane became his breakout performance after Heated Rivalry premiered in November 2025.
The Canadian-produced series has since reached an international audience. Bell Media says Heated Rivalry is now available in more than 130 countries.
Crave says Season 2 is set to premiere in spring 2027.
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