Two fresh faces have been revealed as the latest additions to the lineup for the second season of Crave’s popular hockey series, “Heated Rivalry.” Daniel Diemer, a Canadian actor recognized for his role as Tyson in the TV series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” will take on the character of hockey player Ryan Price. Welsh actor Shaheen Jafargholi, known for his part in the HBO series “War,” will portray musician Fabian Salah, Ryan’s love interest.
The characters Ryan and Fabian are the central figures in the third book of Rachel Reid’s acclaimed Game Changer hockey romance series, titled “Tough Guy.” The novel follows the journey of professional hockey enforcer Ryan Price, who, upon joining the Toronto team, encounters Fabian in the city’s gay village. Sparks fly between the two, reigniting a connection from their past. However, pursuing a future together may require Ryan to make a tough choice between hockey and love.
In a press release, writer Jacob Tierney and producer Brendan Brady praised the casting choices, stating, “Fabian and Ryan each bring a distinctive energy to the world Rachel Reid has created. They are bold, complicated, and deeply compelling characters, and finding actors who could really take on all of those different sides was so important to us. Daniel and Shaheen bring such confidence and emotional honesty to the roles. We can’t wait for audiences to see what they do with Fabian and Ryan and how they make these characters their own.”
Season one of the series adapted the first two books of Reid’s series, “Game Changer” and “Heated Rivalry.” The upcoming season will continue to explore the story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, hockey rivals turned lovers, from Reid’s novel “The Long Game,” with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie reprising their lead roles in the TV adaptation.
Additionally, the second season will incorporate the narratives of Troy Barrett, a hockey player traded to Ilya’s team, and Harris Dover, a social media manager, from the fifth novel in the series, “Role Model.”
The casting choices for season two have sparked excitement among fans, with Justice Smith joining the ensemble as Harris, as announced by Crave.
