Connor Storrie may now be inseparable from Heated Rivalry’s Ilya Rosanov — seriously, try to picture anyone else, we’ll wait — but his journey to becoming one of 2025’s most talked-about TV breakouts is full of surprising twists. From competitive tumbling in West Texas to high-fashion modeling moments and a role he never expected to go global, Storrie’s rise is less “industry plant” and more “happy accident.” Consider this your fun-facts guide to the man behind the skates.
Fun Fact #1: Connor Storrie Was a Tumbler Before He Was a Heartthrob
Before the ice, the locker rooms, and the yearning glances, Connor Storrie was flipping through the air—literally.
Growing up in West Texas, Storrie was deeply immersed in tumbling, gymnastics, and competitive cheerleading. It’s a background that explains a lot, actually—his physical confidence, body awareness, and that slightly feral intensity he brings to Ilya.
Storrie has openly shared that he gravitated toward individual sports, noting that he prefers knowing that if something goes wrong, it’s on him. That independent streak feels baked into his on-screen presence: solitary, driven, emotionally guarded… and yes, devastatingly hot.
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Fun Fact #2: Heated Rivalry Was Supposed to Be Small (Like, Very Small)
Believe it or not, Storrie didn’t sign onto Heated Rivalry thinking it would become a global fixation for the gays.
At the time, the project was positioned as a Canadian series streaming on Crave—a platform largely limited to Canada. For Storrie, that wasn’t a downside; it was the appeal. Smaller projects often allow more creative freedom, intimacy, and risk-taking, and that’s exactly what drew him in.
He’s said that even if the show never traveled internationally—or even if it never fully materialized—he would’ve still been thrilled just to have the experience. Working outside the U.S., being immersed in something specific and niche, and stepping into a role so different from himself was enough.
Which makes the show’s current cultural takeover even sweeter.
Fun Fact #3: Connor Storrie Is Not a Hockey Guy (But You’d Never Guess)
Despite how convincingly he sells every stare, shove, and skate-adjacent moment, Connor Storrie is not a lifelong hockey player. That makes his performance even more impressive.
What Heated Rivalry proves is that Storrie’s strength isn’t technical sports realism—it’s emotional precision. He understands longing, competitiveness, restraint, and vulnerability. The hockey is just the setting; the feelings are the sport.
Fun Fact #4: Storrie’s Modeling Era Was… Androgynous Excellence
Let’s talk visuals, because the internet certainly has.
Before becoming the muscled, slightly unhinged hockey fantasy of today, Connor Storrie dipped into modeling—and those early photos are a moment. Fans have uncovered images featuring corsets, editorial poses, and high-fashion energy that lean beautifully androgynous.
Young Storrie could serve delicate, angular, runway-adjacent realness just as easily as he now serves broad-shouldered athlete. The range? Immaculate.
Fun Fact #5: From Twink to Twunk, Storrie Has Done It All
If there’s one thing the Storrie fandom agrees on, it’s this: the man does not miss.
Earlier photos show a slimmer, softer, more ethereal version of Connor—the kind of twink who looks like he belongs in an avant-garde fashion spread. Heated Rivalry, meanwhile, introduces us to a thicker, sturdier, more athletic build that screams “locker room tension.”
And yet, somehow, both versions work. Twink? Twunk? Somewhere in between? Connor makes a compelling case for all of it.
Fun Fact #6: The Secret Sauce Is Sincerity
What truly makes Connor stand out isn’t just the aesthetics or the breakout success—it’s the sincerity. He didn’t chase fame; he chased the work. He didn’t expect viral obsession; he embraced the process.
And now? He’s at the center of one of the most beloved queer TV moments of the year.
So yes, Heated Rivalry Episode 5 may be the highest-rated TV episode of 2025—but Connor’s journey to get there is just as compelling. From West Texas tumbling mats to international queer icon status, it’s safe to say: this is only the beginning.
And frankly? We can’t wait to see what he does next.
REFERENCE: The Hollywood Reporter