The hit Crave series Heated Rivalry turned its two lead actors into overnight sensations when it debuted in November 2025. The show, which follows the secret romance between NHL superstars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, became a cultural phenomenon and averaged over 10.6 million U.S. viewers on HBO Max .
Now that the first season has wrapped, fans are eager to know what Hudson Williams (Shane) and Connor Storrie (Ilya) are doing next. Both actors have already lined up exciting new projects that show their range beyond the queer hockey drama.
Hudson Williams Reunites with Crave for Mysterious Drama ‘Yaga’
Hudson Williams is staying close to home for his first major role after Heated Rivalry. The 25-year-old Canadian actor has joined the cast of Yaga, a new half-hour drama series for Crave .
The show takes inspiration from Slavic folklore, specifically the myth of Baba Yaga, the witch-like figure from Eastern European legends. Created by playwright Kat Sandler, who adapted it from her own stage play, Yaga promises to blend mystery with elements of the supernatural .
Williams will play Henry Park, described as the young heir to a powerful fishery. When Henry goes missing, a private investigator named Rapp (played by Noah Reid of Schitt’s Creek fame) arrives in a small coastal town to look for him. The investigation quickly gets complicated as Rapp runs into a wary local detective, a charismatic professor, and a web of secrets .
The cast also includes Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix franchise, who plays a university professor with a taste for younger men, and Clark Backo from Letterkenny . The eight-episode series comes from Front Street Pictures and Blink49, with directors David Frazee and Rachel Talalay attached .
Connor Storrie Heads to A24 for Comedy Film ‘Peaked’
Connor Storrie, the Texan actor who brought Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov to life, is making the leap to the big screen. He is in talks to join the cast of Peaked, an upcoming comedy from indie studio A24 .
The film follows two women who were bullies in high school as they try to recapture their glory days at their ten-year reunion. While Storrie’s specific role remains under wraps, the project has attracted an impressive ensemble .
Molly Gordon and Allie Levitan will star alongside Emma Mackey (Sex Education), with Gordon directing from a script she co-wrote with Levitan. The cast also includes Laura Dern, Simone Ashley (Bridgerton), Levon Hawke, Mitra Jouhari, and Gabby Windey . Production is scheduled to begin this month .
For Storrie, this marks his first major casting since Heated Rivalry exploded in popularity. Before his breakout role, he appeared in smaller parts in Tiny Beautiful Things and Joker: Folie à Deux .
Both Stars Stay Busy with Multiple Projects
Beyond these high-profile roles, both actors have been quietly working on other creative endeavors.
Williams has already filmed a role in the upcoming Netflix limited series The Altruists. The show stars Julia Garner and Anthony Boyle and tells the story of Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison, the young idealists behind the FTX cryptocurrency collapse who allegedly stole billions . The Canadian actor also revealed he has been filming and directing three short films that he plans to release sometime in the future .
In January 2026, Williams appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon for his first late-night interview. Fallon later told Entertainment Weekly that Williams drew “one of the hottest audiences we’ve ever had” .
Storrie, meanwhile, is preparing for a major milestone. He is set to host Saturday Night Live on February 28, 2026, with Mumford & Sons as the musical guest . The SNL appearance will introduce him to an even wider audience just as his film career takes off.
The 25-year-old actor also has a feature film directorial debut in the works. Transaction Planet, which he shot entirely on an iPhone, follows an alien spirit that enters the body of a man in his mid-twenties. Storrie described the project to Interview magazine as absurdist and reminiscent of his favorite directors’ first films .
The ‘Ember & Ice’ Surprise for Fans
For fans missing the chemistry between Williams and Storrie, the pair reunited for a unique project that dropped in January 2026. Ember & Ice is a fantasy erotic audiobook created for the Quinn app .
The three-episode series features Williams as Finn and Storrie as Dane, two adversary fae princes from warring families who begin a secret affair when they cannot fight their attraction. The story reaches its peak when the two princes and their families come face to face to sign a treaty .
The storyline closely mirrors the enemies-to-lovers arc of Heated Rivalry, giving fans something to enjoy while waiting for season two. Andrew Scott, Manny Jacinto, and Jamie Campbell Bower have all recorded audio content for Quinn, placing Williams and Storrie in good company .
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What About ‘Heated Rivalry’ Season 2?
The show has already been renewed for a second season, which will adapt Rachel Reid’s novel The Long Game, the sixth book in her Game Changers series . The story picks up roughly three years after the events of the first season, with Shane and Ilya still dating in secret.
Creator Jacob Tierney told Entertainment Weekly in December that the wait for new episodes should not be too long. “It will not be same time next year, but it’ll be pretty soon after that,” he said. “It’s not gonna be two years. It’s not even gonna be 18 months, I don’t think. So we’re gonna go as fast as we can, while ensuring that we’re doing as good a job as we possibly can” .
Based on these comments, fans could see season two arrive sometime in spring 2027. The synopsis teases a difficult road ahead for the couple: “It’s time for them to decide what’s most important — hockey or love” .
For now, viewers can catch all episodes of Heated Rivalry on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in other territories. With both leads landing major new roles and staying in the public eye, the buzz around the show shows no signs of slowing down.
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