Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie are Heated Rivalry's new will-they-won't-they

Both characters hail from the second season’s source material, Role Model, the fifth book in author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series. These two are the main protagonists of Role Model, but given the structure of season one, Harris and Troy will occupy the simmering subplot, like Kip (Robbie G.K.) and Scott (François Arnaud) in the first batch of episodes, a plot thread that turned out to be the key to the whole season working. This time it’ll see Ottawa Centaurs social media manager Harris lusting after the team’s dour forward, Troy. The Hollywood Reporter confirms this season will see Troy joining Ilya on the ice when he’s drafted to the Centaurs.

In a statement, show creator Jacob Tierney and producer Brendan Brady praised Reid for these “two beautifully layered characters” who “you can’t help but root for.” Additionally, they claim Smith and Gillespie bring that classic Harris and Troy “depth and heart to the screen” with “the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters.” Plus, they kiss. 

Heated Rivalry is scheduled to return next spring.