Because of Heated Rivalryviewers now have a standout new technology of performers to comply with. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie anchor the Crave and HBO Max drama, a daring adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Sport Changers novels about rival hockey gamers who uncover a deep connection off the ice. Since its late-2025 premiere and official renewal for Season 2, the sequence has steadily grown its viewers and change into one of the crucial talked-about streaming dramas this winter.
Get to know every of the principle solid of Heated Rivalry under!
Hudson Williams — Shane Hollander
The breakout star, who performs Canadian hockey participant Shane Hollander within the sequence, is a recent face to the massive leagues of Hollywood — however that doesn’t imply he’s model new to the movie business. The 25-year-old actor has additionally written, directed and acted briefly movies.
In line with his IMDb profile, Hudson co-wrote, co-directed and starred within the 2024 quick Rancid. His on-screen work started in 2024 with quick movies and in numerous TV reveals, showing within the shorts Brim Reaper, Teresa’s Selection, Peace of Thoughts, Mrs. Changs Excellent Tooth, Chad GPT, The Courting Sport and Snow Angel.
Hudson was born in 2001, in response to a number of retailers.
Connor Storrie — Ilya Rozanov
Imagine it or not, Connor isn’t really Russian, regardless of how convincing his accent sounds in character as Ilya. He’s really a Texas native. The 25-year-old actor, who can be a director and author, per his IMDb profile, has appeared in a handful of movie tasks over time, together with Joker: Folie à Deux as a younger inmate.
Throughout a 2025 interview with EtalkConnor defined why he was drawn to perfecting his dialect expertise, particularly for a Russian accent.
“Truthfully, I’ve at all times simply thought Russian language and Russian tradition was actually cool,” Connor stated. “It’s so completely different from American tradition, so it feels actually unique and on the market. … Attending to play something that’s as distant from me as doable, I really feel like is de facto enlightening. It’s additionally simply enjoyable to placed on that form of posture. It permits you to uncover issues about your self and in regards to the world. It’s simpler to play that method too as a result of I’m not so involved about being Connor.”
François Arnaud — Scott Hunter
François is a Canadian actor finest identified for taking part in Cesare Borgia in The BorgiasManfred Bernardo in Midnight, Texas, and Tommy Castelli in UnReal. The 40-year-old Montreal native has been performing in movie since at the least 2009.
Amongst his different notable movie and TV credit are roles in Permission, Marlowe, Schitt’s Creek, The Moodys, Yellowjackets and Quantum Leap.
François has opened up about his private life. He’s bisexual and has been courting fellow actor Marc Bendavid since 2023.
As the general public’s curiosity within the Heated Rivalry solid’s private lives has soared, François famous that it’s “absurd” to imagine that any actor ought to really feel pressured to share info like that.
“It’s absurd to suppose that try to be allowed to ask about somebody’s sexuality once they’re attempting to get employed for a job,” the actor advised Selection in late 2025. “It’s loopy, like we’re solely going to rent you in the event you’re homosexual? After which it’s, like, how homosexual are you? It’s a spectrum.”
Robbie G.Okay. — Kip Grady
As the one non-hockey participant love curiosity within the present to this point, Robbie shortly made an impression amongst followers after episode 3 premiered. The 29-year-old Ontario native performs the candy barista and soon-to-be grad pupil Kip, Scott’s boyfriend.
Robbie has appeared in numerous movie and TV roles over time, together with Utopia Falls, Overcompensating, Marry F*** Kill, The Neighborhood Gamers, The Stanley Dynamic, Full Out, Delinquent and extra.
What followers may not know from the get-go about Robbie is that he’s a musical theatre child! Per his IMDb profile, the actor fell in love with performing when he was 13, enjoying Kurt Von Trapp in The Sound of Music.
Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova
Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova performs Svetlana, Ilya’s longtime Russian pal and occasional hookup buddy. She helps Ilya again dwelling in opposition to his emotionally abusive household state of affairs.
The actress and mannequin relies in Toronto. She launched her movie and TV profession in 2016 and has appeared in a slew of different tasks, together with The Boys, Strays, Slip, Robyn Hood, Adults and A Very Jonas Christmas Film.
Sophie Nélisse — Rose Landry
Followers ought to acknowledge Sophie Nélisse from Yellowjackets! She performs the teenage model of the seemingly reticent but domineering Antler Queen within the hit sequence.
The Canadian actress has additionally starred in The E book Thief, which earned her a number of award nominations and accolades, together with the 2013 Highlight Award from the Hollywood Movie Awards.
Sophie performs Rose Landry, one in all Heated Rivalry‘s simple queens, who briefly dates Shane as he struggles to return to phrases along with his sexuality. After she figures it out, Rose vows to be a secure house for Shane as a pal.