Heated Rivalry has officially found the next couple joining its expanding gay hockey universe.
Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have been cast as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett for the show’s second season.
For readers of Rachel Reid’s novels, the announcement introduces two characters whose relationship extends far beyond a minor supporting storyline.
Gillespie will play Troy, a talented professional hockey player who arrives at the Ottawa Centaurs carrying emotional baggage and a damaged reputation.
Smith will portray Harris, the team’s warm, cheerful and relentlessly optimistic social media manager.
The two men gradually fall in love in Reid’s novel Role Model.
Their romance is expected to be incorporated into the television adaptation alongside the continuing relationship between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
Series creator Jacob Tierney has previously explained that the second season will draw primarily from The Long Game, Reid’s direct continuation of Shane and Ilya’s story.
Material from Role Model will also be woven into the season because the events of the two novels overlap.
That means Troy and Harris will not simply exist in a separate romantic subplot.
Their relationship becomes connected to the emotional pressures already facing Shane and Ilya.
Troy’s journey toward greater honesty and openness has particular significance for Ilya, who remains trapped between his love for Shane and the enormous consequences of revealing their relationship.
The contrast between the couples gives Reid’s wider series much of its emotional power.
Troy and Harris begin moving toward a life that can be lived openly, while Shane and Ilya continue struggling with secrecy after years of loving each other behind closed doors.
The television series can now explore those parallel journeys during the same season.
Smith brings a substantial film and television résumé to the role of Harris.
He recently earned acclaim for his performance in Jane Schoenbrun’s surreal queer drama I Saw the TV Glow.
His other credits include Detective Pikachu, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Smith publicly came out as queer in 2020 and has since spoken about identity, representation and the experiences of Black queer performers.
His combination of warmth, humour and emotional sensitivity appears particularly well suited to Harris.
Gillespie is best known to many viewers as Luke Patterson in Netflix’s musical series Julie and the Phantoms.
He has also appeared in projects including Charmed, Totally Killer and The Class.
As Troy, he will take on a character whose confidence on the ice conceals anger, insecurity and a deep fear of rejection.
The role offers Gillespie the opportunity to portray both the damage caused by professional hockey culture and the possibility of personal change.
The announcement was made through official promotional portraits shared by HBO Max.
Smith was introduced against a red background as Harris, while Gillespie appeared against blue as Troy.
The streaming service described the reveal simply as a “hard launch,” language that immediately delighted fans who had spent months speculating about the casting.
The second season will continue to centre Hudson Williams as Shane and Connor Storrie as Ilya.
François Arnaud has also confirmed that viewers will see more of Scott Hunter and Kip Grady after their relationship became one of the first season’s most popular storylines.
The addition of Troy and Harris means the show can now explore several different stages of queer love within the same professional sports environment.
Scott and Kip have moved into a more established and public relationship.
Troy and Harris will be discovering what they mean to each other.
Shane and Ilya will continue confronting the consequences of a love they can no longer comfortably keep hidden.
That expansion could allow Heated Rivalry to become more than the story of one secret romance.
It can examine how different gay and bisexual men navigate visibility, ambition, fear and intimacy within a sport that has traditionally made openness difficult.
Season two is now scheduled to premiere in spring 2027.
Filming is expected to take place primarily in Toronto, with production beginning in August 2026.
An exact premiere date has not yet been announced.
For now, however, fans finally know who will bring one of Rachel Reid’s most beloved additional couples to the screen.
Shane and Ilya remain the heart of Heated Rivalry.
But with Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie joining as Harris and Troy, they are about to receive some very welcome company.
📷 @hbomax / @cravecanada
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