Heated Rivalry centers on a pair of professional hockey players whose rivalry belies a secret romance. The hit Crave and HBO Max series stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud, Sophie N\u00e9lisse, and Dylan Walsh round out the cast. <\/p>\n
Crave and HBO Max’s hockey romance Heated Rivalry<\/a> fired a slapshot into the hearts of fans, who’ve been flooding social media with fan edits and googly-eyed reaction clips.\n<\/p>\n Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series of books, the hit show follows hockey superstars Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose intense rivalry on the ice belies a secret romance. It was created by\u00a0Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny<\/a>), who you may remember as Eric on Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990\u20131992). \u00a0\n<\/p>\n With its popularity growing every week, it’s no surprise that Heated Rivalry is skating its way into a second season. Before Shane and Ilya’s next chapter begins, why not get to know the stars bringing this LGBTQ story to the screen?\n<\/p>\n Read on for Entertainment Weekly’s Heated Rivalry cast and character guide.\n<\/p>\n Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander <\/p>\n Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n Before landing his breakout role on Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams carved out his own creative path by writing, producing, directing, and starring in several short films. He also guested on shows like Allegiance (2024) and Tracker (2025).\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Here, Williams stars as Shane Hollander, a Canadian hockey player and the captain of the Montreal Metros.\n<\/p>\n In an interview with EW<\/a>, Williams described himself as a “very physical” actor, even when a role calls for more restraint.\n<\/p>\n “Even with Shane, it doesn’t look like he’s the most physically expressive, but even then it was a physical choice,” he explained. “I felt very limited by how Shane can move and the fact that we both have the desire just as humans to always move and collaborate and express ourselves freely, it was almost like these movements were a release.”\n<\/p>\n Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov <\/p>\n Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n Prior to Heated Rivalry, Connor Storrie made headlines for his small (but pivotal) role in Joker: Folie \u00e0 Deux<\/a> (2024).\n<\/p>\n On Heated Rivalry, Storrie stars as Ilya Rozanov, a Russian hockey player and captain of the Boston Raiders.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Speaking with EW, the actor reflected on his rise to fame, admitting that he and Williams initially underestimated the show’s popularity.\n<\/p>\n Since their social media feeds were so algorithmized to the series, they assumed the buzz was limited to their own devices. “Then the moment I came back from Canada, every single day I feel like someone’s stopping me and being like, ‘I love the show,'” said Storrie.\n<\/p>\n Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud as Scott Hunter <\/p>\n Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud as Scott Hunter on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n After portraying real-life Italian cardinal and soldier Cesare Borgia on The Borgias (2011\u20132013), Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud landed leading roles on series like Midnight, Texas (2017\u20132018) and The Moodys (2019\u20132021). In 2025, he costarred with Dylan O’Brien in the buzzy indie film Twinless.\n<\/p>\n Arnaud now plays Scott Hunter, a closeted American hockey player and the captain of the New York Admirals.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Speaking with EW<\/a>, he credited intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter with creating an environment that made some of his more vulnerable moments feel “respectful but not precious.” Rather than approaching those scenes with caution, Arnaud said the experience was “liberating.”\n<\/p>\n He continued, “We knew, especially in our episode or in our relationship, that we wanted the sex to convey freedom and joy.”\n<\/p>\n Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady <\/p>\n Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n Robbie G.K., a veteran of series like Utopia Falls (2020) and Overcompensating<\/a> (2025), plays Kip Grady, a juice shop barista in a passionate relationship with Scott.\n<\/p>\n Arnaud told EW that Tierney pitched Kip and Scott as “the emotional pendant of Shane and Ilya.”\n<\/p>\n Callan Potter as Hayden Pike <\/p>\n Callan Potter as Hayden Pike on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n HBO Max<\/p>\n Callan Potter previously appeared on the Nickelodeon series The Other Kingdom (2016) and the Canadian sitcom Workin’ Moms (2023).\n<\/p>\n On Heated Rivalry, Potter plays Hayden Pike, Shane’s married teammate and closest friend who’s perhaps too invested in seeing his friend in a relationship.\n<\/p>\n Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander <\/p>\n Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n HBO Max<\/p>\n Christina Chang has been acting on screen for nearly 30 years, with notable roles on 24 (2003\u20132009), CSI: Miami (2004\u20132010) and Rizzoli & Isles (2015\u20132016). She’s best known for playing Dr. Audrey Lim on more than 100 episodes of ABC’s The Good Doctor<\/a> (2017\u20132024).\n<\/p>\n On Heated Rivalry, Chang plays Yuna Hollander, Shane’s mother.\n<\/p>\n Dylan Walsh as David Hollander <\/p>\n Dylan Walsh as David Hollander on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n Dylan Walsh starred in movies like Congo (1995) and We Were Soldiers (2002) before scoring the lead role of Dr. Sean McNamara on the FX hit Nip\/Tuck (2003\u20132010).\n<\/p>\n He went on to join a pair of CBS hits: Unforgettable (2011\u20132016) and Blue Bloods<\/a> (2019\u20132024). You may also recognize him as the father of Lois Lane on the CW’s Superman & Lois (2021\u20132024).\n<\/p>\n Walsh plays David Hollander, Yuna’s husband and Shane’s father.\n<\/p>\n Kolton Stewart as Carter Vaughn <\/p>\n Kolton Stewart as Carter Vaughn on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n HBO Max<\/p>\n Kolton Stewart led the YTV comedy Some Assembly Required (2014\u20132016) before landing recurring roles on series such as The Expanse (2019), Locke & Key (2020\u20132021), and My Life with the Walter Boys<\/a> (2023\u20132025).\n<\/p>\n On Heated Rivalry, he costars as Carter Vaughn, Scott’s best friend and teammate.\n<\/p>\n Sophie N\u00e9lisse as Rose Landry <\/p>\n Sophie N\u00e9lisse as Rose Landry on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n Sophie N\u00e9lisse is best known for her breakthrough performance as Shauna Sadecki on Yellowjackets<\/a> (2021\u2013present), but she’s also starred in films like 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) and The Kid Detective (2020).\n<\/p>\n N\u00e9lisse costars on Heated Rivalry as Rose Landry, a famous actress in Canada for an upcoming film. While in town, she strikes up a romance with Shane.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Tierney confirmed to EW<\/a> that Jennifer Lawrence served as the inspiration for Rose. “This is such specific Montreal lore, which is where I’m from, and the city that Rachel [Reid, Game Changer author] is also obsessed with,” he said. “They made all the X-Men movies there. The inspiration is Jennifer Lawrence and the X-Men movies.”\n<\/p>\n Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana Vetrova <\/p>\n Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana Vetrova on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n Sabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n Before joining Heated Rivalry, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova starred on the short-lived drama Robyn Hood (2023). You can also see her on episodes of the Canadian sitcom Strays (2022) and FX’s Adults (2025), as well as films like Alexander Payne’s Downsizing (2017) and A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025).\n<\/p>\n She plays Svetlana, Ilya’s longtime friend and sporadic lover.\n<\/p>\n Yaroslav Poverlo as Grigori Rozanov <\/p>\n Yaroslav Poverlo as Grigori Rozanov on ‘Heated Rivalry’.<\/p>\n HBO Max<\/p>\n Yaroslav Poverlo has acted in several films and series, but he’s also a go-to Russian and Ukrainian dialect coach for shows like Altered Carbon, Law & Order, and The Recruit.\n<\/p>\n On Heated Rivalry, he portrays Grigori Rozanov, Ilya’s ailing father.\n<\/p>\n Where can I watch Heated Rivalry? <\/p>\n New episodes of Heated Rivalry drop weekly on Fridays on HBO Max<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n