The Vampire Diaries alum is the new coach of the Maple Hills Titans in Netflix's take on Hannah Grace's TikTok-famous romance. He joins a cast that already includes Moana herself, Auli'i Cravalho.
Stefan Salvatore is trading fangs for a whistle. Paul Wesley has joined Netflix's Icebreaker series as college hockey coach Neil Faulkner, TVLine reported Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Netflix hasn't shared any details about the role yet. In Hannah Grace's 2022 novel, Faulkner is the stern coach of the Maple Hills Titans, a former NHL player whose pro career ended after a car crash. That history shapes how hard he pushes his players.
Wesley is best known as Stefan on The CW's The Vampire Diaries. More recently he's played Captain James T. Kirk on Paramount+'s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
What is Icebreaker about?
The series follows figure skater Anastasia "Stassie" Allen, who is chasing Olympic gold, and hockey player Nate Hawkins, who is headed for the NHL. An accident forces their two teams to share one rink at the University of California, Maple Hills.
Their rivalry turns into something else. Netflix's logline says the only thing more dangerous than wanting to win is "wanting each other."
Book fans know that's putting it lightly. Icebreaker is a steamy romance, and it became a hit on TikTok after it came out in November 2022. Grace followed it with Wildfire (2023) and Daydream (2024), set in the same college world.
Who else is in the Icebreaker cast?
Wesley joins a young cast Netflix announced in late September. Here's who's playing whom, per What's on Netflix:
Daisy Jelley as Anastasia "Stassie" Allen
Connor Simos as Nate Hawkins
Auli'i Cravalho as Lola, Stassie's best friend and roommate
Gabriel Tierney as Aaron, Stassie's original skating partner
Peter Berry as Robbie, Nate's best friend and an assistant coach
Chaneil Kular as JJ, Nate's roommate
Devin Craig as Henry, the shy team captain
Aidan Shaw as Russ, the Titans' starting goalie
Disney fans will spot one name right away. Cravalho voiced Moana in Disney's 2016 animated film and its 2024 sequel, Moana 2. She also played Janis in the 2024 movie musical version of Mean Girls.
Who is making the Icebreaker series?
Netflix announced the series in June. Amanda Lasher, a co-executive producer on Gossip Girl, is the showrunner, TheWrap reported. Jade Bartlett is writing and executive producing.
Podcaster Alex Cooper is an executive producer through her company, Unwell Productions, with Matt Kaplan and Mina Lefevre. Author Hannah Grace is an executive producer too, according to What's on Netflix.
When does Icebreaker come out on Netflix?
Netflix hasn't announced a premiere date or an episode count.
Filming started Oct. 19 in Vancouver and is scheduled to wrap on March 5, 2027, What's on Netflix reported. Add time for editing and the site's best guess is a debut in late 2027.
So if you haven't read the books yet, you've got plenty of time to catch up. All three Maple Hills novels are already out, and Wildfire and Daydream follow other students from the same campus.
Why are hockey romances everywhere right now?
Icebreaker is part of a wave. Several outlets have lumped it in with other hockey romance adaptations, like Heated Rivalry and Off Campus, as streamers race to cash in on BookTok's favorite sport.
The same TVLine casting roundup had news for Hulu subscribers, too. Reality competition The Circle moves to Hulu for Season 8, premiering Tuesday, Nov. 17, with The Bachelorette's Hannah Brown among the players.
Wesley's casting gives the Titans a familiar face behind the bench. Now fans just have to wait to see if Coach Faulkner is as tough on screen as he is on the page.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
TVLine (Nov. 11, 2026), Paul Wesley's casting, role, the book's version of Coach Faulkner and The Circle's Hulu premiere
What's on Netflix (Sept. 28, 2026), cast and roles, filming dates and location, Hannah Grace's role and the books
TheWrap (June 15, 2026), series order, showrunner, writer, executive producers and logline
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