This holiday season, romance fans can't stop talking about HBO Max and Crave's latest series Heated Rivalry. Created by Jacob Tierney, the Canadian gay hockey-romance based on Rachel Reid's novel of the same name follows the love story between superstar players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), told over eight years as they face off on the court and secretly hook up in their off-hours. Created by Jacob Tierney, the new series doesn't shy away from the spicy scenes from the book, nor the messy emotions as the two men slowly fall for each other.
Since the November 28 premiere, viewers have been flooding social media with praise for the six-part series, with the hype growing day-by-day as the fandom grows. To bring the latest #BookTok-to-screen adaptation to life, Tierney gathered a cast of talented young stars and TV veterans, including some a real-life sports star. Below, read on to learn more about the cast of Heated Rivalry, including where to follow them as we wait for more episodes.
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander
Shane is an Asian Canadian player who's known as a genius, dedicated hockey player with a spotless reputation. In addition to being an anchor on his national team, Shane becomes captain of the Montreal Metros and a star of the fictional Major League Hockey (MLH).
Hudson Williams, 24, is a Korean-Canadian actor who got his start in short films and went on to appear in movies like 2024's All I Need for Christmas and Nobody Dumps My Daughter. Earlier this year, he appeared in an episode of the CBS series Tracker. Heated Rivalry is his first major television role.
Instagram: @hudsonwilliamsofficial
Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov
Ilya is a classic bad boy from Russia, cocky with a penchant for trash talk. He becomes a member of the Boston Raiders MLH team in the same draft as Shane, and he can't help but be curious about his fellow star rookie. Off the court, Ilya is plagued with family drama and high pressure to represent his motherland.
Connor Storrie, 25, is a Texas-born actor who has previously appeared in small roles in the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things and 2024's Joker: Folie à Deux. In addition to Heated Rivalry, he also had a lead role in the 2025 thriller April X.
Instagram: @connorstorrieofficial
Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander
Yuna is Shane's mom and manager, who's thrilled that he joins her favorite MLH team. She and Shane's dad David (Nip/Tuck's Dylan Walsh) are very supportive, though sometimes Yuna can be too hands-on.
Christina Chang, 54, is a Taiwanese-American actress who has appeared in TV shows and films since the late '90s, including 2007's Live Free or Die Hard, and the hit series 24 and Desperate Housewives. She's best known for playing Dr. Audrey Lim in the long-running medical drama The Good Doctor.
Instagram: @thechristinachang_
Sophie Nélisse as Rose Landry
Yellowjackets star Sophie Nélisse is set to appear in Heated Rivalry as Rose Landry, an American actress who Shane dates. The 25-year-old Canadian rose to fame as an award-winning child star in films like Monsieur Lazhar and The Book Thief, before her breakout role as young Shauna Shipman. Most recently, Nélisse has appeared in the horror movie Whistle, and the French-Canadian thriller L’indétectable.
Instagram: @sophie__nelisse
Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana Vetrova
Svetlana, Ilya's childhood friend (and occasional friend-with-benefits) is played by Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova. The actress and model of Russian-Caribbean descent had a small role in the 2017 film Downsizing, before making her TV debut on a season 2 episode of Prime Video's The Boys. Most recently, she appeared in FX's Adults and Disney's A Very Jonas Christmas Movie.
Instagram: @daniela.xk
François Arnaud as Scott Hunter
Scott Hunter is a veteran hockey player and a role model for Shane, though they play on different teams. As book fans know, the New York Admirals player Hunter has his own love story in Game Changer, the first book in Rachel Reid's series. (Heated Rivalry is the second.)
François Arnaud, 40, is a Montreal-born actor who rose to fame with his leading role as Cesare Borgia in Showtime's period drama The Borgias. His other notable roles include NBC's Blindspot and Midnight, Texas; Lifetime's UnREAL; CBC's Schitt's Creek, and Showtime's Yellowjackets. The openly-bisexual star has also been in a relationship with fellow actor Marc Bendavid since 2022.
Instagram: @francoisarnaud
Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady
Kip Grady, Scott's boyfriend from Game Changer, is also set to appear in Heated Rivalry. He's played by Robbie G.K., 29, who previously starred in Canadian shows like Utopia Falls and The Next Step. Earlier this year, he played Riley in Prime Video's college comedy Overcompensating.
Instagram: @robsgk
Harrison Browne as Connors
Hockey fans will spot real-life player Harrison Browne, 32, playing one of Ilya's teammates, Connors. Browne was assigned female at birth and competed in the National Women's Hockey League before he came out as transgender in 2016, becoming the first openly trans player in professional hockey.
After his retirement in 2018, Browne started a new career as an actor and filmmaker, appearing on shows like Y: The Last Man and Nancy Drew. Earlier this year, he made his directorial debut with the short film Pink Light, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. He also co-wrote the non-fiction book Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes.
Instagram: @hbrowne24
