While some of us are still "at the cottage" and deep in the throes of our obsession with a certain hockey romance series, Heated Rivalry season 2 is officially on the way and in the works. The wildly popular Crave original series, which became an even bigger hit in the United States on HBO Max, will return with another season of Shane and Ilya's rivals-to-lovers romance with even more characters.
There's already a fair amount that we know about Heated Rivalry season 2 thanks to some advanced intel from showrunner Jacob Tierney, including when the new season is aiming for release, how many episodes are expected this time around, and that the season will adapt Rachel Reid's book The Long Game, the sixth book in the Game Changers series and the second about Shane and Ilya.
Because season 2 will tackle more of the original source material, fans already have expectations for what will happen in the next batch of episodes and which new characters we could be meeting from across the book series. While there are characters well into the double digits that could be added to Heated Rivalry season 2, these are the 10 very important characters we're most likely to meet!
Warning: Minor spoilers from the Game Changers book series ahead.
Troy Barrett
Our No. 1 draft pick for new characters most likely to play a large role in Heated Rivalry season 2, Troy Barrett not only leads his own spinoff book Role Model (the fifth in the series), but he also features significantly in season 2's jumping-off point The Long Game. In recent interviews, Tierney has name-checked Troy, which pretty much confirms the embattled hockey player will soon arrive.
Troy first makes an appearance in Tough Guy, and he's introduced as someone who goes along with the bad behavior of fellow MLH players, though with guilt. After calling out his former best friend and fellow Toronto Guardians player Dallas Kent (we'll get to him) in the wake of sexual assault allegations, Troy gets traded to the Ottawa Centaurs, the team in which Ilya Rozanov is now the captain.
Role Model could possibly get the Game Changer treatment with a standalone episode in season 2 since Troy plays such a big role in helping Ilya move forward in his own journey with Shane and coming out. While he starts out as an unlikable character, Troy falls in love (of course) and practices self improvement to better himself. We don't just want to meet him; we need to meet him.
Harris Drover
As the co-lead of Role Model, Harris Drover will most definitely make his debut in Heated Rivalry season 2, especially if it's Troy's time to shine. Even without his connection to Troy, Harris works as the social media manager of the Centaurs and has a close friendship with Ilya. A rare openly gay character in the Game Changers universe's hockey world, he's an important source of inspiration.
Harris isn't only the beloved social media manager of the Centaurs, he's also an apple farmer from outside Ottawa. His family grows apples, which his sisters turn into hard cider. Also, he continually brings Chiron, a therapy dog in training, to the Centaurs facility, which Ilya adorably loves. Hopefully, we will also be meeting Chiron (and Anya!) so we can watch Connor Storrie cuddle a cute puppy.
Wyatt Hayes
First making his appearance in Tough Guy, Wyatt Hayes plays a prominent role in the Game Changers universe as an incredible ally and an all-around stand-up guy. He becomes Ryan Price's best friend while they were both playing for the Toronto Guardians. Before the end of that book, Wyatt gets traded to the Ottawa Centaurs, which makes him a huge part of The Long Game.
He's the team's starting goalie and an all-star in the league, even though he's "stuck" on a so-called "bad" team. But he's fun, a breath of fresh air, and a character Ilya actually respects. Wyatt has been a highly anticipated character for the show, and he already has fan-cast buzz with Adults star Jack Innanen as the top pick. The actor even publicly expressed his interest to join the cast.
Dallas Kent
Well, here he is... Dallas Kent isn't particularly a character we want to meet, but his appearance feels like an inevitability given his proximity to a number of characters, including Troy. If a Role Model episode does happen, the show will have to tackle the difficult subject matter of Dallas' allegations. Overall, he doesn't play a big part in the main story and it's possible that his role could be reduced.
Eric Bennett
As someone who adored Common Goal, it's unfortunate to realize that a bottle episode might not be in the cards for season 2. It could still happen, but the book ultimately doesn't have a major impact on The Long Game or season 2. We have already met Kyle Swift, the Kingfisher bartender and Kip's friend, but we haven't met Eric Bennett, Scott's New York Admirals teammate.
In Common Goal, Eric grapples with his divorce from his wife of two decades and his impending retirement after a long career as goalie. He begins to explore his bisexuality for the first time with Kyle, who's 15 years younger than him. Eric crosses paths with Ilya and Troy, so we should meet him. If anything, Eric and Common Goal further Scott and Kip's storyline, which we could also see in season 2.
Luca Haas
A 20-year-old rookie right winger from Switzerland, Luca Haas joins the Ottawa Centaurs and appears throughout both Role Model and The Long Game. He idolizes Ilya (maybe even has a crush?) and ends up becoming close friends with him in something of a mentor-mentee relationship. That's no surprise given his obvious parallels to Shane. He's just one of many, many Centaurs players we could meet, like Boodram and Dykstra, but he's the closest to Ilya apart from Troy.
Ryan Price and Fabian Salah
You're probably wondering whey Ryan Price and Fabian Salah are combined when Troy and Harris aren't. Well, it's because throughout their appearances in the book series after their story in Tough Guy, they're pretty much a package deal. Troy and Harris attend one of Fabian's concerts, where Troy apologizes to Ryan, and Shane and Ilya later hang with Ryan during one of Fabian's shows.
In Tough Guy, old teenage "friends" Ryan and Fabian reconnect during a time when Ryan's figuring out the trajectory of his MLH career and his severe anxiety. He's been traded a lot before landing in Toronto and dealing with Dallas and Troy. It's unclear if Tough Guy will be told in full or will be explained in dialogue. But we should almost definitely meet them since Ryan has a rather game-changing (pun intended) scene with Shane and Ilya at camp
Farah
Apart from new teammates and other queer hockey stars from across the league, Shane and Ilya's world expands in The Long Game with the addition of new people on their personal team. Because they work together with the Irina Foundation and summer hockey camp for kids, Shane and Ilya share an agent, Farah, who helps plan their careers. Spoiler alert, they also inform her about their secret.
Farah seems like an important character to introduce in Heated Rivalry season 2, even though she only has a few scenes in The Long Game. She's someone they lean on to help when they prepare to address their relationship to the public, but there's also a chance we won't meet Farah. Just to avoid introducing too many new side characters, it's possible that Farah's role could be folded into Yuna's.
Galina
While we'll have to wait and see whether Farah will make an appearance, there's another new character outside of the hockey world that season 2 simply can't avoid introducing: Galina. When Ilya realizes that he's experiencing mental health issues, he decides to see a therapist per Shane's suggestion. He finds a Russian-speaking therapist to talk to about his depression and other concerns.
Ilya's journey with his mental health encompasses much of his arc in The Long Game and should, too, in season 2. The Russian-speaking aspect of their sessions will be interesting to navigate, as will the content. Some readers have taken issue with the way Shane was depicted in the book, but hopefully, Tierney and Hudson Williams will find a way to improve Shane's arc, and Tierney can elevate Ilya's conversations with Galina.