The Toronto internet is officially spiralling again, and this time it’s for the absolute best reason. Filming for the second season of everyone’s favourite hockey romance, Heated Rivalry, has officially started up right here in the 6ix. After months of secrecy, the production team has finally broken their silence with a massive wave of fresh casting reveals for the upcoming season, which mainly adapts The Long Game from Rachel Reid’s popular book series.
The biggest news giving fans a collective meltdown involves two major additions that were previously kept strictly under wraps. Daniel Diemer, known for his recent role in the Percy Jackson series, has been cast as Ryan Price. Joining him as Fabian Salah is Shaheen Jafargholi, a face British television lovers will instantly recognize from Eastenders. Their arrival is a huge deal for book lovers, as Ryan and Fabian are the main protagonists of Tough Guy, another beloved story in the Game Changers universe.
Their casting completes a crucial puzzle piece that was teased in earlier announcements. The show recently revealed that Schitt’s Creek star Emily Hampshire will be playing Vanessa, while Ontario’s very own drag icon Priyanka was cast as her roommate, Tarek. Since both characters are close friends with Ryan and Fabian, fans are already speculating that showrunner Jacob Tierney might be preparing a standalone side-story episode for the crew, similar to how the first season handled Scott and Kip.
These additions join a stacked roster of newly announced cast members, including Edvin Ryding as Swiss hockey player Luca Haas, Robert Naylor as goaltender Wyatt Hayes, Toronto’s own Sabrina Jaleel as agent Farah Jalali, Charles Gillespie as Troy Barrett and Justice Smith as social media manager Harris Drover.
Despite all the shiny new characters, Tierney previously reassured fans that Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams remain the heartbeat of the show, meaning Shane and Ilya will still get plenty of screen time. With returning favourites like Yuna, David, Svetlana and Rose back on set, Toronto set-spotters will definitely have their hands full as production continues across the city.