The realm of hockey romance is abuzz once more with exciting developments. Crave’s popular series, Heated Rivalry, is welcoming five fresh talents to its ensemble.
Emily Hampshire, a well-known Canadian actress, will portray Vanessa, a character working at a sex shop. Sabrina Jalees, a Canadian comedian and actress, takes on the role of sports agent Farah Jalali, while drag queen Priyanka steps into the shoes of Tarek, an office assistant.
Hampshire is recognized for her performances in the sitcom Schitt’s Creek and the TV series 12 Monkeys. Jalees previously hosted the radio and web show Laugh Out Loud and contributed as a writer for Canada’s Got Talent. Priyanka clinched victory in the inaugural season of the reality TV show Canada’s Drag Race.
Also announced in the cast are Canadian actor and musician Robert Naylor as goaltender Wyatt Hayes and Swedish actor Edvin Ryding as rookie hockey player Luca Haas.
Naylor is notable for voicing D.W. Read in the animated series Arthur, while Ryding portrayed Prince Wilhelm in Netflix’s Young Royals.
The new casting details were shared on Thursday via Instagram. Crave confirms that season two of Heated Rivalry will pick up the storyline of hockey rivals-turned-lovers Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov from Rachel Reid’s sixth novel in the Game Changer series, The Long Game. The Game Changers series comprises hockey romance novels interconnected through characters and narratives.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will reprise their leading roles in the TV series adaptation.
Season one of the series adapted the first two books in Reid’s series, Game Changer and Heated Rivalry.
With the recent casting update, it is probable that the third book in the series, Tough Guy, will also be brought to the screen. Vanessa and Tarek are characters connected to Fabian Salah, who is the romantic interest of hockey player Ryan Price in Tough Guy.
The upcoming season will also weave in the narratives