Crave's popular queer hockey drama series, Heated Rivalry, has announced the casting of Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett for its upcoming second season. These characters are central to the fifth book, "Role Model," in Rachel Reid's "Game Changers" book series and have been a subject of fan casting discussions for months.
Smith will portray Harris Drover, the social media manager for the Ottawa Centaurs hockey team, known for his positive demeanor. Gillespie steps into the role of Troy Barrett, a fellow league hockey player who joins a new team amidst personal challenges. Producers Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady expressed their enthusiasm, stating that Smith and Gillespie "immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters."
While Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov were the primary focus of the first season, showrunner Tierney has planned for the series to incorporate characters from other books in the interconnected series. Season 1, Episode 3, for example, adapted the first book, "Game Changer," focusing on Scott Hunter and Kip Grady. It remains to be seen whether Season 2 will dedicate a similar episode to Harris and Troy or integrate them throughout the season's narrative.
Production for Heated Rivalry Season 2 began this week, with a planned release in spring 2027. Actor Dylan Walsh, who plays Shane's father, has suggested that the season may consist of 12 episodes, though this has not been officially confirmed.
The first season of Heated Rivalry, which premiered on November 28, 2025, achieved significant success, becoming Crave's highest-rated original show of all time and driving a 400% increase in viewership on the platform. HBO Max acquired U.S. streaming rights prior to its premiere, and by February 2026, the series had garnered 10.6 million views in the U.S., with a more than 100% audience increase following the finale. The series is now available in 130 countries and has received numerous accolades, including a record-setting 16 Canadian Screen Awards in a single year.