The trailer for gay ice hockey drama Heated Rivalry proves this is the hottest queer show of the fall

The scorching hot first trailer for gay ice hockey TV series Heated Rivalry has landed, and believe us: the ice is melting.

Heated Rivalry, based on the hit novel series by Canadian romance author Rachel Reid, follows the rivals-to-romantics story of professional ice hockey players Shane Hollander (Tracker actor Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Joker: Folie à Deux star Connor Storie).

On the ice pitch, the duo play on competing teams; Shane for the Montreal Meteors, and Ilya for the Boston Raiders. When the games finish though, their kits end up on each other’s bedroom floors.

It’s a moving tale of forbidden love among two stars of a sport that isn’t quite ready to accept queer players.

In the first trailer, the pair begin as sworn rivals, with Ilya in particular giving Shane the cold shoulder. But as the pair spend more time together – on the pitch, at press conferences – their bond becomes undeniable.

One scene shows a shirtless Ilya, wearing only a towel, approaching Shane in a locker room. Shane, who is sitting down and at Ilya’s, um, crotch level, can clearly feel the sexual tension.

When Shane is romantically linked to actress Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse) in the press, she asks him: “Are there any gay hockey players?”

“None that have said it publicly,” he replies, before the trailer cuts to Shane and Ilya wrestling topless in a dark bedroom.

Ilya, desperate to keep their love affair a secret, nicknames Shane as “Jane” in his phone, with his assitant Svetlana (Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova) questioning whether he and “Jane” are together as they have been “texting for years”.

Again, the trailer cuts to the couple in a series of hot trysts, including one eyebrow-raising shower scene.

“How much pressure do you feel from the fans and the hockey world in general?” a reporter ask Shane, with the sports star replying: “I find it hard being so high-profile.”

It’s clear that the couple dream of being able to show the world their connection off the pitch, as well as on it.

Heated Rivalry’s cast also includes François Arnaud, Robbie GK, Dylan Walsh and Christina Chang. Letterkenny director Jacob Tierney has directed the series.

“Two rival hockey stars at the top of their game face an unexpected challenge when they develop feelings for each other, complicating their careers,” reads the official synopsis.

Heated Rivalry is set to premiere on Canadian streaming service Crave on Friday 28 November.

It comes two years after the release of the hit film adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue, which also told the queer enemies-to-lovers story of air to the British throne Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) and son of the US president Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez)

The gay romcom was a worldwide hit, taking the top spot on Prime Video’s weekly top ten list of the most-watched films upon its release. 

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