In the realm of hockey romance, exciting developments are underway once again. Crave’s series “Heated Rivalry” is welcoming five new additions to its cast.

Emily Hampshire, a renowned Canadian actress known for her roles in “Schitt’s Creek” and “12 Monkeys,” will be portraying Vanessa, a character working in a sex shop. Sabrina Jalees, a Canadian comedian and actress, will take on the role of sports agent Farah Jalali, while drag queen Priyanka will play Tarek, an office assistant.

The cast also includes Robert Naylor, a Canadian actor and musician known for voicing D.W. Read in “Arthur,” as goaltender Wyatt Hayes, and Edvin Ryding, a Swedish actor who starred in Netflix’s “Young Royals,” as rookie hockey player Luca Haas.

The announcement of the new cast members was made on Instagram. Season two of “Heated Rivalry” will continue to explore the love story between hockey rivals-turned-lovers Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov based on Rachel Reid’s “Game Changer” series, specifically the sixth novel, “The Long Game.”

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will be reprising their lead roles as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov in the TV adaptation. The first season of the show covered the first two books of Reid’s series, “Game Changer” and “Heated Rivalry.”

With the new cast additions, it is anticipated that the third novel in the series, “Tough Guy,” will also be adapted. The characters Vanessa and Tarek are connected to Fabian Salah, the love interest of hockey player Ryan Price in “Tough Guy.”

Furthermore, the upcoming season will incorporate storylines from the fifth novel, “Role Model,” including Troy Barrett, a hockey player traded to Ilya’s team, and Harris Dover, a social media manager.

Crave recently revealed that Justice Smith will play Harris and Charlie Gillespie from “Julie and the Phantoms” will portray Troy. The second season of “Heated Rivalry” is scheduled to premiere in the spring of 2027.