Kevin Zegers, Paul Gross, and Milla Jovovich Join Heated Rivalry Season 2

On September 3, it was announced that Kevin Zegers, Milla Jovovich, and Paul Gross have been cast in key roles in the upcoming second season of Crave and HBO’s hit queer hockey drama series. The upcoming season is due to premiere in Spring 2027.

About the Show

Created by Jacob Tierney, Heated Rivalry follows the skate-crossed love affair between rival hockey players Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie.

Season 1 of the award-winning show was adapted from the second novel in the Game Changers series, Heated Rivalry, which focuses on the ever-complicated situationship between Shane Hollander and Ilya, who are generational talents in the world of professional hockey and sworn on-ice rivals.

While Heated Rivalry hails from the Canadian streaming service Crave, it became a massive hit months after its U.S. debut on HBO Max. The show hit the American streamer in November 2025 but became a word-of-mouth hit in early 2026, with episodes reaching an average viewership of more than 10 million.

Quick Facts

Season 2 Source Material

The upcoming season will seemingly take from Rachel Reid’s novels The Long Game, Role Model and Tough Guy. Jovovich joins as Dr. Galina Molchalina, a therapist that Ilya sees during the events of Rachel Reid’s novel The Long Game, which is the main source material for the second season.

New Cast Members and Their Roles

Kevin Zegers as Coach Wiebe

Kevin Zegers will be playing Coach Brandon Wiebe, a former professional hockey player and the rookie head coach of the Ottawa Centaurs, the team Ilya plays for in The Long Game. In the books, Ilya moves from the Boston Raiders to the Centaurs in order to be closer to Shane. Zegers is originally from Woodstock, Ontario, and had a recurring role in the CW series Gossip Girl, Paramount+’s The Madison and films such as Transamerica.

Milla Jovovich as Dr. Galina Molchalina

Jovovich will take on the role of Dr. Galina Molchalina, a Russian-speaking therapist who supports Rozanov. The Serbian-Russian actress is known for her roles in The Fifth Element, the Resident Evil movies, and 2019’s Hellboy. Fun fact: Milla’s mom’s name is Galina.

Paul Gross as Commissioner Roger Crowell

Paul Gross will be playing Roger Crowell, the commissioner for the fictional professional hockey league in the Game Changers book series. Fans have been anticipating the casting of this character as it is a contentious one. Gross is known as a Canadian film, television and theatre stalwart, best known for the CTV-CBS series Due South and the films Men With Brooms and Passchendaele, both of which he also wrote and directed.

Full Season 2 Cast Table

Creative Team

Commissioned by Bell Media’s Crave with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, Heated Rivalry is written, directed and executive produced by Jacob Tierney. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson serve as executive producers, while Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje serve as producers. Rachel Reid serves as a consulting producer while Mike Goldbach serves as co-writer on Season 2.

Author’s Reaction

Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid, whose Game Changers books inspired the streaming series, commented: “I’m so glad I don’t have to keep these three a secret any more,” on an Instagram post about the casting announcement.

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