#INTERVIEW: THE CAST AND CREATORS OF “HEATED RIVALRY”

Based on Rachel Reid‘s wildly-popular GAME CHANGERS books, anticipation is great for upcoming Crave Original series HEATED RIVALRY. Above this, it has just been announced that HBO Max also has picked-up the Series, giving it exponential potential now that it has such a wide audience.

The Series centers on two rising stars in Hockey, Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) who duke it out on the rink, before realizing their attraction to one another. This leads to a secret affair that spans several years, set against a backdrop of stigma where being outed might affect their careers adversely.

A Toronto Premiere was held at TIFF Lightbox last night with the Creators, including Reid and Series Director Jacob Tierney, plus the Cast in-attendance. Having seen the first episode of the Series, get ready for things to get real spicy! It isn’t every day a Canadian series has the opportunity this big, so we are expecting big things ahead.

Catch our chats with the Cast and Creators, including:

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A post shared by William Wong (@mrwillwong)

@mrwillwong I don't think you're ready for HEATED RIVALRY! This show is spicy!! Based on Rachel Reid's popular GAME CHANGERS books, this series centers on two rival hockey players secretly in love, while duking it out on the rink. Chemisty off the charts!! HEATES RIVALRY arrives 11.28.25 on Crave, and has just been picked-up by HBO Max! #heatedrivalry #gamechangers #heatedrivalryseries ♬ Heal – Deza

HEATED RIVALRY arrives November 28, 2025 on both HBO Max and Crave.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)