ALEX BROWN
Paul Wesley has joined the cast of Netflix’s Icebreaker, the series adaptation of Hannah Grace’s hit hockey-and-figure-skating romance, as Coach Neil Faulkner. Deadline first reported the casting on November 11, and Netflix confirmed it on Tudum. Wesley joins leads Daisy Jelley and Connor Simos, with production now underway in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Who is Paul Wesley playing in Icebreaker?
Coach Faulkner is the demanding head coach of the Maple Hills hockey team, a figure who looms over Nate and his teammates throughout the book. Wesley is best known as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries and as James T. Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is heading into its fifth and final season on Paramount+. He is the ninth announced cast member.
What is Icebreaker about?
Netflix’s official logline: an Olympic-hopeful figure skater who just transferred schools and a college hockey star chasing the NHL are forced to share one rink after an accident. Anastasia “Stassie” Allen and Nate Hawkins clash, and the rivalry turns into something more. It’s the first book in Grace’s Maple Hills series, which means more seasons could follow if the show takes off.
According to Netflix, the novel spent 70 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold nearly five million copies worldwide, much of that momentum driven by BookTok.
Icebreaker cast
- Daisy Jelley as Anastasia “Stassie” Allen
- Connor Simos as Nate Hawkins
- Paul Wesley as Coach Neil Faulkner
- Gabriel Tierney as Aaron
- Auliʻi Cravalho as Lola
- Peter Berry as Robbie
- Chaneil Kular as JJ
- Devin Craig as Henry
- Aidan Shaw as Russ
Aidan Shaw’s casting has extra pull for fans: he also appeared in Heated Rivalry, the hockey romance series that became a breakout hit. (We covered reports that Heated Rivalry is filming two more seasons earlier this week.)
Who is making Icebreaker?
Jade Halley Bartlett (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) created the series, and Amanda Lasher (Gossip Girl, The Bold Type) is showrunner. They executive produce with Grace and with Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan and Mina Lefevre of Unwell Productions.
When will Icebreaker premiere?
Netflix has not announced a premiere date. With cameras just rolling, a release in the second half of 2027 would be a reasonable guess, but nothing is official. Hockey romances are having a moment, and Netflix is also developing a separate series called The Sticks.
Related on Nerdism
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- The Age of Innocence: Netflix Sets February 2027 Premiere
- HBO Max and Paramount+ Bundle Coming in Early 2027
Sources: Deadline, Netflix Tudum, Just Jared