The 28-year-old Canadian is stepping up to lead the second season of Prime Video’s Off Campus, the hockey romance series adapted from Elle Kennedy’s bestselling book series, in which he plays Dean Di Laurentis, a charming, impulsive Briar University hockey player. Kalyn played the sport from the age of 6 and finished his minor hockey career at the AA tier before accepting, toward the end of high school, that a professional career was not going to happen.
Acting arrived almost by accident. A casting call for his high school’s production of Grease drew him in — he played Danny Zuko — and after spending two hours a day in rehearsal, he fell in love with the process. He built his credits steadily from there, including appearances on Prime Video’s Gen V and Motorheads, before Off Campus came calling.
He originally auditioned for the role of John Logan, ultimately played by Antonio Cipriano, then got a second shot a few months later when the Dean role opened up. After chemistry reads and a Friday meeting that followed a Wednesday audition, he was cast. He describes it as one of the greatest days of his life.
There was also an element of fate to it. Kalyn’s fiancée had been a longtime fan of the Elle Kennedy books, with Dean’s story, The Score, being her favourite. She had even left a comment on Goodreads years earlier praising the character. Her approval of his portrayal, he said, was the only review that truly mattered.
Season two will put Dean and his love interest Allie Hayes, played by Mika Abdalla, at the centre of the story. Prime Video renewed the series in February 2026, before season one even premiered, with filming for season two scheduled to begin in June. Season one drew nearly a million viewers in its first three days and holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Kalyn says the show has larger ambitions than its romantic premise suggests. He hopes male viewers — particularly athletes — will watch and take from it a lesson about emotional openness, saying the series aims to show it is acceptable to express feelings and lean on others. As for what season two holds, he keeps it simple: “It’s going to be very sweet and loving and heartbreaking.”
