The world of hockey romance is abuzz with excitement once again as five fresh faces are set to grace Crave’s popular series, Heated Rivalry.
Emily Hampshire, a talented Canadian actress, will take on the role of Vanessa, a sex shop employee. Joining her are Sabrina Jalees, a Canadian comedian and actress portraying sports agent Farah Jalali, and Priyanka, a drag queen playing the character Tarek, an office assistant.
Emily Hampshire is renowned for her performances in the sitcom Schitt’s Creek and the TV series 12 Monkeys. Sabrina Jalees previously hosted the radio and web show Laugh Out Loud and wrote for Canada’s Got Talent. Priyanka emerged victorious in the inaugural season of Canada’s Drag Race.
The cast also includes Robert Naylor, a Canadian actor and musician, as goaltender Wyatt Hayes, and Edvin Ryding, a Swedish actor, as rookie hockey player Luca Haas.
Robert Naylor is recognized for voicing D.W. Read in the animated series Arthur, while Edvin Ryding starred as Prince Wilhelm in Netflix’s Young Royals.
The announcement of the new cast members was shared on Instagram on Thursday.
Crave has confirmed that the upcoming season two of Heated Rivalry will continue to follow the tale of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, former hockey rivals turned lovers, based on the sixth novel of Rachel Reid’s Game Changer series, The Long Game. The Game Changer series comprises hockey romance novels set in the same universe with interconnected character storylines.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are set to reprise their leading roles in the TV adaptation.
The first season of the show covered the adaptation of the initial two books from Reid’s series, namely Game Changer and Heated Rivalry.
With the latest casting update, it is anticipated that the third novel in the series, Tough Guy, will also be brought to screen. Vanessa and Tarek are friends of Fabian Salah, the love interest of hockey player Ryan Price in Tough Guy.
