If there's one thing that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans and Heated Rivalry fans both have in common, it's that we all can't wait until the second season of each breakout series premieres. The Game of Thrones prequel series and the queer hockey drama both took the world by storm with their first seasons, and with season 2 in the works for both, excitement couldn't be higher.
While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans have an idea where season 2 will go for Dunk and Egg, Heated Rivalry season 2 enters uncharted territory. It will primarily tackle Rachel Reid's book The Long Game, but there are also three additional books in the Game Changers books series and countless new characters that have the potential to enter the story. Of course, fans already have a solid casting idea.
So, where does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms come into play here? Well, no one's trying to get Egg's actor, Dexter Sol Ansell, on the ice, and he's probably a little old to play one of Hayden's young children. But Heated Rivalry fans have spoken and want to see Peter Claffey to step into the role of Tough Guy protagonist and frequent book series recurring character Ryan Price.
Peter Claffey eyed as Heated Rivalry fans' top choice for Ryan Price
Now, the desire to see Claffey lace up and step into Ryan Price's skates didn't come out of thin air. He's admittedly perfect for the role, almost as if he was the vision for the character when Reid was writing Tough Guy, which isn't likely since the book was published in 2020. The character is described as tall, with red hair and an athletic build as a hockey defenseman known for fighting on the ice.
Personally, Claffey was who I pictured as Ryan when I was reading Tough Guy, and that might have to do with the fact that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms had just premiered at the time. But I couldn't imagine an actor more suited, both visually and talent-wise, to play the misunderstood, anxiety-ridden, lover-forced-to-be-a-fighter Ryan Price than our beloved Dunk. I mean, look at the material. Claffey already has a sports background, including a stint at a charity hockey game!
In addition to just looking like he fell right out of the book, Claffey became a recent fan-favorite to play Ryan Price when eagle-eyed fans noticed that Heated Rivalry showrunner, writer, and director Jacob Tierney followed the actor on Instagram. Truthfully, that could mean nothing more than he's a fan of the actor's work in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a show that fellow Heated Rivalry executive producer Brendan Brady recently admitted that he enjoys watching.
The connections are clearly there behind the scenes, but there might be some A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms fans who haven't watched Heated Rivalry and are unfamiliar with the series, the books, and Ryan Price. What would Claffey playing the hockey player entail? Well, it's unclear right now. It's unconfirmed if season 2 will have a standalone episode that adapts Tough Guy in full, as the first season featured a standalone episode for Game Changer.
Ryan pops up in other books in the series, including season 2's main source material The Long Game, but he likely wouldn't be more than a recurring character or even a guest star. The most his role would entail is if there's a standalone episode that adapts his love story with musician Fabian Salah. That's a long-winded way of saying that Claffey being cast as Ryan wouldn't interfere with his role as Dunk.
For now, this is a case of wishful thinking and manifestation, and the Heated Rivalry team could go in a totally different direction. But the fans are keeping the hope alive on social media for Peter Claffey to play Ryan Price. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 wraps filming in June 2026, and Heated Rivalry season 2 production reportedly kicks off in August. Just saying, the timing works out for us to get the picture-perfect Ryan Price in the Shane and Ilya universe!