Kevin Zegers joins Heated Rivalry season 2 as Coach Wiebe

Kevin Zegers is joining Heated Rivalry season 2 as Coach Wiebe, alongside Milla Jovovich as Dr. Galina Molchalina and Paul Gross as Commissioner Roger Crowell. The Crave original, which airs on HBO Max in the U.S., is filming now and aims for a Spring 2027 premiere, expanding the hockey romance around Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.

Key Takeaways

• Kevin Zegers plays Coach Wiebe, head coach of Ottawa’s professional team in season 2.
• Milla Jovovich is therapist Dr. Galina Molchalina; Paul Gross is commissioner Roger Crowell.
• The Crave series, which plays on HBO/HBO Max in the U.S., is filming and targeting Spring 2027.
• Season 2 is adapted mainly from Rachel Reid’s novel The Long Game, with Role Model also in play.
• Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie return as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.

Who is Kevin Zegers playing in Heated Rivalry season 2?

Kevin Zegers, known for The Madison and Transamerica, has been cast as Coach Wiebe. The Hollywood Reporter says the character is the head coach of Ottawa’s professional team, where Connor Storrie’s Ilya Rozanov will play during season 2.

Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil, The Fifth Element) joins as Dr. Galina Molchalina, a therapist Ilya sees in Reid’s novel The Long Game, the main source material for the second season. Paul Gross (Good Night and Good Luck on Broadway, Tales of the City) boards as Commissioner Roger Crowell, the professional hockey league’s commissioner.

They join Hudson Williams’ Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie’s Ilya Rozanov. Deadline frames the series as a gay ice hockey drama about professional players who mask their secret love with a fierce rivalry on the ice. TheWrap’s logline says a secret fling between two rookies evolved into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery.

When does Heated Rivalry season 2 premiere?

Season 2 is due in Spring 2027. Deadline reports the show is a Crave original that plays on HBO in the U.S. TheWrap and THR say HBO Max will carry the new season, and THR reports it is currently filming.

Season 1 premiered in November 2025. THR says it made near-instant stars of Williams and Storrie, who were both working as waiters when they booked the roles, and that Williams won a Canadian Screen Award for Shane. Crave renewed the show early into the first-season run. For more pickup and premiere news, see our streaming and TV alerts hub.

Accent Aigu Entertainment produces in association with Bell Media-owned Crave, ordered with participation of the Canada Media Fund. Deadline says Bell’s UK-based Sphere Abacus sells the show internationally, initially shopping it to HBO Max in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, and Sky in the UK.

What books is Heated Rivalry season 2 based on?

Jacob Tierney created the series and is writer, director, and executive producer, based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers books. THR reports season 1 adapted the second novel, Heated Rivalry, with the first novel as secondary material centered on François Arnaud’s Scott Hunter and Robbie G.K.’s Kip Grady.

Season 2 will be adapted from Reid’s sixth novel, The Long Game, which continues Shane and Ilya’s story. In that book, the players are in a committed relationship and learning how to build a life together while hiding their true feelings in public. Tierney has said Role Model, which takes place concurrently, will also be source material.

Role Model follows Ilya’s teammate Troy Barrett (Charlie Gillespie) and Ottawa social media manager Harris Drover (Justice Smith). Based on recent casting, THR says the season appears to incorporate Tough Guy as well, which follows Toronto enforcer Ryan Price (Daniel Diemer) and aspiring musician Fabian Salah (Shaheen Jafargholi).

Other season 2 names include Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees, Priyanka, Sophie Nélisse, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Callan Potter, Benjamin Roy, and Kamilla Kowal. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson are executive producers; Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje are producers; Reid is consulting producer; and Mike Goldbach is co-writer. Deadline detailed the Zegers, Gross, and Jovovich additions on September 3, 2026.