Shane and Ilya are back on the ice — and behind the cameras, Heated Rivalry Season 2 is officially in production.
Creator Jacob Tierney took to Instagram to confirm that filming has begun on the second season of the hit Crave and HBO Max hockey romance series, delivering the news alongside a heartfelt message to the show’s devoted fanbase, according to Screen Rant. His post came with a direct and sincere request: if any fans happen to come across a filming location during production, please give the cast and crew the space they need to do their best work.
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Tierney’s Message to Fans
Tierney didn’t just confirm the filming start and move on. He used the announcement to express genuine gratitude to the community that has rallied around the show since Season 1 premiered in 2025, describing their “support, enthusiasm and kindness” as something that has meant the world to him personally. He closed the message with a promise — that everything the team is doing in production will be worth the wait.
The announcement signals that the creative team is pushing hard to hit a 2027 release window, which Season 2’s timeline would need to support if production is only now getting underway in earnest.
What Season 2 Is About
The new season adapts The Long Game — the sixth installment in Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers hockey romance book series, which has amassed a passionate readership well beyond traditional sports romance audiences. While Season 1 established the central relationship between rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose secret relationship develops off the ice, The Long Game continues that story at a new chapter in both their lives.
The Team Behind the Show
Tierney wrote and directed every episode of Season 1 himself, in addition to serving as executive producer alongside Brendan Brady and Justin Stockman. He is expected to maintain the same level of involvement on Season 2.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie return as Shane and Ilya, joined by the existing ensemble cast including François Arnaud, Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Callan Potter, Robbie G.K., Sophie Nélisse, Dylan Walsh, and Kamilla Kowal.
Before Heated Rivalry, Tierney had a long career in Canadian television — most notably creating the beloved sitcom Letterkenny and producing its spinoff Shoresy, in addition to early work on Are You Afraid of the Dark?
A release date for Heated Rivalry Season 2 has not yet been officially confirmed.
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