Netflix drops the puck on its own swoon-worthy ice hockey romance series
Netflix is skating into the college hockey romance arena with a TV adaptation of Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker, just as Amazon’s Off Campus keeps racking up buzz.
If you thought streaming TV had run out of ways to mash up sporty college drama with swoony romance, think again. Netflix is barging onto the rink with its own ice hockey/figure skating series, basically trying to skate in the same lane as Amazon Prime Video's Off Campus — which, fair play, is already getting a bit of a following in that corner of the internet.
From BookTok to Netflix – Icebreaker Gets The Big Adaptation
This one's an adaptation of Hannah Grace's Icebreaker – yes, the very same New York Times bestseller you couldn't escape on BookTok last year. If you missed it, Icebreaker is the first in the Maple Hill series, and it's blown well past the niche romance crowd. We’re talking nearly 5 million copies sold worldwide and official translations in 24 languages, which is frankly more than most actual Nobel laureates can claim. Not bad for a steamy uni-set ice rink saga.
The news landed during the BANFF World Media Festival, courtesy of Netflix’s Jinny Howe, who runs scripted series for the US and Canada. And naturally, they're hoping to capture a slice of that audience Amazon has been quietly building with its own sporty student series.
Plot Rundown – So, Who's Falling In Love On The Ice?
Right, so here’s what you can expect plot-wise: Anastasia Allen is a driven figure skater who’s laser-focused on winning Olympic gold — pure hard-nosed ambition. Enter Nate Hawkins, a hockey player aiming for the NHL. Then there’s an accident (of course), and suddenly they’re forced to share a training rink.
You're meant to root for their competitive on-ice banter, but – no big shock – the friction gives way to That Sort Of Chemistry, and soon enough it’s tension between their attraction and their professional dreams. To be honest, it’s pretty classic enemies-to-lovers stuff, if you’re into that flavour.
Who's Bringing It To Life?
- Amanda Lasher – Showrunner and writer (previous credits: Gossip Girl and Togetherness)
- Jade Bartlett – Wrote the pilot, co-writer; you might know her name from Road House, Miller's Girl, and a draft of Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Executive Producers – Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan, Mina Lefevre (via Unwell Productions), plus Lasher and Bartlett
Lasher is pretty clear where her loyalty lies, genre-wise. She put it like this:
I have been a fan of steamy YA since the seventh grade, reading Judy Blume stealthily hidden behind a textbook. I love this genre, and it’s been a joy working with Jade, the team at Unwell, and Netflix to bring Hannah Grace’s beloved Icebreaker novel to the screen.
If you’re already casting it in your head, hold your horses – Netflix says casting hasn’t started yet. No word on who’ll end up in those skates, but safe bet they’ll grab some hot new talent once things get moving.