Heated Rivalry Season 2 Update: Shaheen Jafargholi Joins Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie's Hit Show

Shaheen Jafargholi has joined the cast of Heated Rivalry Season 2 and described working on the Crave Original series as a 'joy,' praising the cast and crew for creating a welcoming and 'safe' environment during production.

The Welsh actor shared the comments at the premiere of HBO's new series War in New York City on 22 September, following his announcement as one of the new additions to the cast of the upcoming season.

Jafargholi will join returning stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who play hockey rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively. The second season is scheduled to premiere in spring 2027.

Shaheen Jafargholi Opens Up About Joining Heated Rivalry Season 2

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, Jafargholi said joining Heated Rivalry had been a positive experience and praised the commitment of the cast and crew involved in bringing the series to audiences.

'It's been a joy from start to finish,' Jafargholi said. 'I'm still currently doing it as we speak. Everyone there cares so much about making it the best show it could possibly be for the fans, and to be a part of that world and get to kind of step into it, has been surreal, but very, very exciting.'

The actor, who plays Fabian Salah in the upcoming season, also discussed the atmosphere on set, saying the size of the production had not affected the personal nature of the working environment.

'Every single person on that set cares so much about what they're doing, and it was honestly, I don't wanna say it was surprising, but because of how big the show is, I just couldn't believe how small and intimate and sort of, I don't know, safe the whole experience has felt,' he said.

Jafargholi said he was already familiar with the series before auditioning for the role and was surprised that he was considered for the part.

'I was honestly in disbelief that I was even going to tape for the part and I had no expectation that I would end up getting it,' he said.

His comments offer an early look at his experience joining the expanding cast of Heated Rivalry as the series prepares to continue the story of Shane and Ilya.

Heated Rivalry Season 2 Adds New Cast Members

Heated Rivalry was created by Jacob Tierney and is based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series. The second season will continue the storyline centred on Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov while introducing new characters.

Alongside Jafargholi, the upcoming season will feature other new cast members including Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie and Emily Hampshire.

Hampshire previously shared her excitement about joining the project in an Instagram post in August. The actor posted a childhood image of herself wearing hockey gear and expressed enthusiasm about becoming part of the series.

Jafargholi first gained wider attention after appearing on Britain's Got Talent in 2009. He later played Shakil Kazemi on BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2016 to 2018 and appeared as Marty Kirkby on Casualty.

Further details about Season 2 remain limited, but the addition of new cast members signals an expansion of the ensemble as production continues ahead of its planned 2027 release.