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Netflix has found its “sex on ice” series.
The streamer has ordered a series version of the Hannah Grace novel “Icebreaker, Variety has learned exclusively. Netflix exec Jinny Howe revealed the news onstage during a fireside
chat with Variety‘s executive editor for TV, Michael Schneider, at the BANFF World Media Festival.
Amanda Lasher and Jade Bartlett are both attached to write and executive produce the adaptation, with Lasher also set to serve as showrunner. Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan, and Mina Lefevre will executive produce via Unwell Productions (“Love Overboard,” “Hannah Montana” 20th Anniversary Special).
“Netflix has a long history of turning beloved romance novels into massive global hits. We know our members can’t get enough of these stories, which makes ‘Icebreaker’ the perfect next chapter for us,” said Howe, who Netflix’s head of scripted series for the US and Canada. “By supercharging the hockey sports romance genre, Icebreaker has ignited a passionate fandom and helped redefine the landscape of contemporary romance. We are thrilled to partner with Jade Bartlett, Amanda Lasher, and the team at Unwell Productions to bring this irresistible love story to life.”
“Icebreaker” is the first of three novels that Grace has published in the Maple Hills series, which are set at the fictional University of California, Maple Hills. “Icebreaker” has spent 70 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It was originally published in 2022 with a wide release in 2023. The book has sold nearly 5 million copies worldwide.
The logline for the show states, “She’s the transfer gunning for Olympic gold. He’s the campus star chasing the NHL. But when an accident forces their teams to share one rink, Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins collide—and discipline gives way to obsession, because the only thing more dangerous than wanting to win is wanting each other.”
News of the series comes as audiences have become more and more enamored with romances set at the skating rink. “Heated Rivalry,” about two pro hockey players engaged in a secret love affair, took the world by storm when it was released in late 2025. Amazon also recently released the series “Off Campus,” the first season of which follows a star college hockey player and his relationship with a music student at the same school. Both shows are based off of book series.
Netflix has also found great success with adapations of popular novels, like “Bridgerton,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” and “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
“I have been a fan of steamy YA since the 7th grade; reading Judy Blume stealthily hidden behind a text book,” said Lasher. “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.”
Lasher previously worked on the hit series “Gossip Girl” early in her career, eventually rising to the rank of co-executive producer. She has since worked on shows including “Togetherness” and “Riverdale,” while she has also been the showrunner on series like “The Bold Type” and “Sweet/Vicious.”
“It’s been such a joy to play in Hannah Grace’s world of ‘Icebreaker;’ a story filled with ambitious, talented, and undeniably sexy characters,” Bartlett said. “But the real special sauce is that, above all, they are good, deeply compassionate people….and we cannot get enough of them. Hannah has created the kind of world you want to live in, and Amanda and I are having an absolute romp with our incredible teams at Unwell and Netflix bringing this cherished story to the screen.”
Bartlett made her feature writing and directorial debut with “Miller’s Girl,” which was based on her Black List script of the same name. The film bowed at the 2024 Palm Springs Film Festival and was released by Lionsgate, with Point Grey and Mary-Margaret Kunze producing. She has also worked on films like the 2025 “Road House” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
Lasher is repped by CAA, OPE Partners, and Felker Toczek. Bartlett is repped by UTA and Heroes and Villains Entertainment. Grace is repped by Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management, who negotiated the deal on her behalf.
