“Heated Rivalry” was undoubtedly one of the smash hits of 2025, launching Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams into stardom as fans followed their hockey-themed romance.
Now, showrunner Jacob Tierney has teased details about what to expect from the show’s much anticipated second season.
What Can Fans Expect From “Heated Rivalry” Season 2?
GettyTierney sat down for a conversation with “Heated Rivalry” author Rachel Reid at BookCon 2026. The showrunner and author discussed what’s coming up next for Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), Entertainment Weekly reported.
Warning – contains spoilers for “Heated Rivalry” and for the “Game Changers” book series.
Tierney talked about how he was tackling the second adaptation of Reid’s “Game Changers” series, titled “The Long Game.”
“‘Long Game’ is… so long and it’s so gamey, like eating venison,” he joked, before continuing.
“It really is different, and the challenge, from an adaptation standpoint, is you’re in much more serious territory.”
“There’s still lots of flirting, and there’s lots of sex, but it’s this kind of danger,” he revealed. “This kind of ‘hotel room, adolescent sex’ stuff is largely gone.”
“The Long Game” follows Shane and Ilya’s relationship, ten years after the events of “Heated Rivalry.” Ilya has transferred to the Ottawa Centaurs to be closer to Shane, though their relationship is still secret. The pair have also launched a charity together, as discussed in the infamous cottage scene from the show’s first season.
The pair are also feeling the pressures of whether to take the plunge and stop hiding their love, as Ilya wants to take their relationship public.
“Heated Rivalry” To Introduce New Characters
GettyTierney also revealed that other characters from the “Game Changers” series would be making an appearance in season 2, “to the great surprise of absolutely nobody.”
Fans can expect to see the characters Troy Barrett and Harris Drover join the cast. Troy Barrett is a forward who will also join the Centaurs, and Drover is the team’s social media manager.
The pair appear in the novel “Role Model,” which takes place at the same time as “The Long Game.”
“There is an easy, facile way of looking at ‘Role Model.’ It’s very ‘grumpy sunshine.’ It’s very ‘apple orchard,'” said Tierney.
“It can drift into things that you want, but Troy is a really damaged guy. And Troy is quite damaged on the show. I would say we’re digging into that even harder.”
Tierney had previously teased that he and writing partner Michael Goldbach were considering splitting “The Long Game” across a second and third season of “Heated Rivalry.”
“It’s a lot of book,” he admitted.
However, any more details are being kept under wraps for now – Tierney said he would be in “a lot of trouble” if he confirmed anything further.
