Heated Rivalry Season 2 Update: Is Jack Innanen a Third Party in Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams' Story?

Jack Innanen has confirmed he has already spoken to the team behind Heated Rivalry about a possible role in season 2, telling Entertainment Tonight that 'we've chatted' while on the press circuit for his new Netflix series Big Mistakes.

The Canadian actor stopped short of saying he was officially joining the hit Crave TV hockey romance, which stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie and is distributed in the US by HBO Max, but his comments have fuelled mounting speculation that he could be about to skate into the franchise's tangled love story.

Heated Rivalry is adapted from Rachel Reid's Game Changers novels and follows rival-turned-romantic NHL stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. The series became a word‑of‑mouth success after its first season, helped along by the chemistry between Williams and Storrie and a devoted online fandom that treats every casting rumour like a playoff final. Season 2 is expected to push deeper into the wider hockey universe of Reid's books, with new players and teams coming to the fore.

Heated Rivalry Season 2 Hype Puts Jack Innanen At Centre Ice

The latest Innanen hint came as he was promoting Big Mistakes, created by Dan Levy for Netflix. Asked directly whether he had been in touch with Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney or the cast about season 2, Innanen replied: 'I've had some... conversations. We've chatted.'

Pressed on whether he was actually booked, he played coy, gesturing that his lips were sealed before answering, 'Who knows?' Entertainment Weekly said it had contacted representatives for HBO Max and for Innanen, but there has been no official confirmation of his casting.

Fans hardly needed more to work with. Long before Innanen's comments, Heated Rivalry devotees had been busily fan‑casting him into the show's expanded line‑up, particularly as either Wyatt Hayes or Troy Barrett, two key figures in the Game Changers books.

Wyatt, the starting goaltender for the Ottawa Centaurs, is a recurring presence across the novels, while Troy, a forward on the same team, steps into the spotlight as the lead of the fifth book, Role Model. Tierney has already signalled that Troy is on his mind, telling the Los Angeles Times: 'Just like you can't tell the story without Scott Hunter, you can't really tell the story without Troy Barrett.' That remark has been doing the rounds on social media ever since, treated almost as a promise that Troy will be central to season 2.

Innanen has leaned into the fan enthusiasm. He has openly acknowledged the online casting chatter and previously posted a self‑taped message directed at Tierney, saying he was 'available for that second season, just putting that out there'. It was half‑joke, half‑audition, and it clearly did not go unnoticed.

Why Heated Rivalry Season 2 Fans Keep Coming Back To Innanen

The push for Jack Innanen in Heated Rivalry season 2 is not only about looks and timing. There are practical reasons he fits the production brief.

To keep its status as a Canadian production and secure the accompanying tax credits and financing, the series needs to employ predominantly Canadian talent. That requirement has shaped casting decisions from the start and helps explain why a Toronto‑born actor with a rising profile would immediately float to the top of fan wish lists.

There is the hockey element too. Innanen told ET that he has real on‑ice experience and has been brushing up his skills: 'I think I'm perfect for the show because I am... down for anything. And I played hockey. I got some mini sticks, I've been practicing, I've been working on my stick handling... I've been working on my hip mobility.' It is a tongue‑in‑cheek way of saying he understands this world, which matters in a series that takes its sports setting seriously even as it leans into romance.

From a publicity perspective, he also appears to be a close fit. Williams and Storrie have become minor internet celebrities on the show's press trail, trading breezy banter and leaning into the fan culture around their characters. Innanen, who is already proving adept at playful interviews while promoting Big Mistakes, seems similarly comfortable in that environment. For a series that depends heavily on online buzz, that is not a trivial factor.

None of this, however, answers the question many viewers want settled: if Innanen joins Heated Rivalry, where exactly would he slot into the ongoing story between Hudson Williams' and Connor Storrie's characters? The more speculative corners of fandom have already started to frame him as a potential 'third party' in the emotional dynamic between the show's leads, particularly if he were cast as the charismatic Troy Barrett. Others argue that casting him as Wyatt Hayes would keep him in the orbit of the main couple without becoming directly entangled in their arc.

For now, it remains speculation. Production on Heated Rivalry season 2 is reportedly set to begin this summer, with a spring 2027 premiere in view, but until Crave, HBO Max or Innanen's representatives confirm his casting, any claim about his involvement remains unverified.