Fast Takes With Fast Break: Toronto Raiders vs Detroit Innovators
The Battle Of Ambassador Bridge
Author: Jack Levy
Introduction:
This weekend a pivotal battle in the North Division takes place. The Detroit Innovators are heading to Canada for the first time since the pandemic to take on the Toronto Raiders. Up until last season, the Innovators had yet to beat their neighbors to the North. Yet, their 2024 home series marked the first time Detroit recorded a win against the Raiders, as they swept them in three convincing wins. Looking to reclaim the series, Toronto gets to host the Innovators this Saturday at 5pm ET.
The Stakes:
The stakes entering this weekend could not be higher for both teams. In week one, the Raiders fell to the Cleveland Riff in one of the most historic sweeps in MLQ history. Toronto, despite losing all three games, played the Riff in some close matches, including a five-point loss in game one. The following week, the Innovators fell to the Minneapolis Monarchs on the road. The Monarchs won in a more dominant fashion, but all three games were uniquely low scoring in the first 20 minutes. With both teams 0-3 there is a lot on the line this weekend.
As mentioned in the Toronto season preview, it is paramount the Raiders avoid traveling to Illinois needing to win three games. Falling 0-3 to the Riff puts everything on the line for the Raiders. Given the increased strength of the Monarchs and the way the Chicago Prowl pounced on the Riff, it is unlikely that Toronto will be able to leave the North SuperSeries with the wins needed to qualify for MLQ Championships. Having lost in Cleveland, this puts a lot of weight on the outcome of their home series against the Innovators. If the Raiders take care of business this weekend, they would feel a lot more comfortable for the rest of the summer about their ability to make the postseason. If the Innovators walk away with the series win, Toronto might miss MLQ Championships, hosted in their backyard.
The same pressure is also on the Innovators this weekend. It seems extremely unlikely that Detroit will be able to take a game off the Prowl like they did last summer. After falling 0-3 to the Monarchs it seems the Innovators only have a chance to grab wins against the Riff and the Raiders. The Riff series this season will not be the cruise the Innovators had last year (just ask Toronto after the games this weekend). This means Detroit’s best shot at qualifying for Champs is leaving Canada with wins in their back pocket before they face off against Cleveland in the last weekend of the season.
Just to map out the stakes, let’s assume that the Innovators, Raiders and Riff fall 0-3 to both the Prowl and Monarchs (although nothing is set in stone with Minneapolis hosting Cleveland next week). Here are the four scenarios that this weekend leaves us with:
DET wins 3-0: The Raiders will be knocked out and the Riff vs Innovators matchup to end the season will determine who finishes third and fourth in the North.
DET wins 2-1: The Raiders will be knocked out and the Innovators will have to sweep the Riff to finish third in the North.
TOR wins 2-1: The Raiders secure the last spot in the North division unless the Innovators sweep the Riff. In this case, the Raiders will be knocked out.
TOR wins 3-0: The Innovators will need to sweep the Riff to cause a three-way tie at 3-9, in which case tie-breakers between Cleveland, Detroit and Toronto will determine who finishes at the bottom of the division. If the Innovators don’t sweep the Riff, they’re eliminated.
For these two teams it’s not just about winning but the fashion in which they win. Is the series a sweep or a split? What is the point differential? The answer to these questions might just determine who goes to Buffalo and who stays home in what is the closest Champs location to both of these teams since 2015. With so much to play for, the Quadball world should get excited for this one.
Detroit’s Roster:
At first glance the absence of Julien Theuerkauf from the roster and the loss of Leo Fried this season puts the Innovators at a disadvantage against the Raiders. However it’s clear from last year’s competition against Toronto that the team has plenty of producers who are rostered and ready to face off. It’s hard not to start with Sarah Dykstra. Dykstra, a former centerpiece of the Raider’s chasing game, is playing her first season in a teal jersey. Last season she was a top five scorer for Toronto, but now she’s crossed the border to play for the Innovators. Dykstra was one of the leading chasers defensively for Detroit in the recent series against the Monarchs. Also look for Ashton Glenn, who was one of the two leading scorers for the Innovators in their opener. Glenn didn’t get the chance to play the Raiders last season, so look for him to make his presence felt in his first minutes in Toronto. The team is also bringing the traditional cornerstones of their chaser corps: Nick Love, Luc Marklin, Gwen Pratt and Brady Sowers. The four of them had a combined 250 points last season against the Raiders. Look for Marklin and Sowers to have stronger showings than their opening series, Love to make a strong 2025 debut and Pratt to see more time in the white headband this weekend.
In their debut against Minneapolis, Pratt was seen playing a massive amount of minutes at beater, due to the handful of absences such as David Banas, Riley Hodder and Brooke Smiley, to name a few. The same cannot be said for this weekend. The Innovators are returning three of the four dominant beaters that led to their series sweep over the Raiders last season. With Smiley making her 2025 debut (Banas and Hodder are still injured), the Innovators will likely play her after Rei Brodeur and Ryan Hsu. Banas, Brodeur, Hsu and Smiley put on a clinic against the Toronto beaters last summer. They each finished with three or more stops, double digit plus/minuses and 1.5 average dodgeballs or higher. This production was unmatched by the Raiders and the four of them played 165 drives in the series. Look for Levi Mederios, another former Toronto player, to fit right into the rotation. If Brodeur, Hsu and Smiley can replicate their performance, with another Innovator stepping up to fill Banas’ absence, Detroit should be able to take care of business.
After 20 minutes, the Innovators have a lot of questions. Detroit’s ace seeker, Neil Peterson, who finished tied for second in catches last summer, is notably absent from this year’s roster. To make matters worse, Jenny Sun went down with an injury against the Monarchs two weeks ago. With their top two options out, the Innovators turned to Theuerkauf who is also unavailable for the series. Jackson Massey, now entering his second season with the Innovators, will likely see the yellow headband. While the Raiders have star seeking talent, Detroit normally has the edge, boasting solid seekers and strong beaters to give them looks. With the absences this weekend, that edge likely flips toward Toronto.
Toronto’s Roster:
Expect a handful of the Toronto chasers to make big contributions. Last season, the goals were spread out fairly evenly among a squad of Raider players. Lachlan Craig and Bryan Melchoir led the group with 40 points each. Nathan Reid was right behind with 30 points. After these three, Toronto had a corp of chasers that all put up 20 points, including Christos Kaldis, Gabriel Kwok, Joanne Lam and Michael Wanless. All seven of the aforementioned chasers are rostered for this weekend, so expect the Raiders to have no problem with offensive production. Against the Riff, we also saw Madeline Matcheski take on a larger role on offense, so look for her to put up points in addition to this group. The Toronto chasing corp is poised to build on the steps they took last season against the Innovators.
Where the concerns lie are in the beating game. For the past two seasons Emma Sherwood has led this Raider squad in stops. Her and Derek Taylor both put up five stops against the Innovators last season. With Sherwood and Piotr Makuch not on the team this year, Derek Taylor returning from an injury, and Mederios playing for the Innovators, there are questions about which beaters will fill these large gaps. Toronto gave us part of the answer on opening weekend when Brittany Taylor ended up anchoring the Raiders’ beater corp against the Riff. Taylor will likely need a repeat performance and build off her team-leading average dodgeballs. The Raiders are also rostering Alexander Scherger, who put up an impressive eight stops on opening weekend. Scherger has been a centerpiece for this Raider team over the years and will continue to play a huge role for the team. Also look for Kieran Smith, who put up four stops in only 28 drives against Cleveland, to assume a larger role against the Innovators. Grace Davey, the current franchise leader in plus/minus, should also see a boost in minutes against Detroit. Isabel Kirby, who was not rostered for the series last season the Innovators, will make herself known after this weekend. Questions still remain as to how this group will play. Will Brittany Taylor and Scherger be expected to play more with so much at stake? Between Davey, Kirby and Smith only Davey was rostered for the series in Detroit last summer, and played a mere 16 drives. How will new beaters step up to fill in the many absences of the Raiders beater corp from last season?
In the seeking game, Toronto looks sharper than ever. Yes, the team only caught once against the Riff, but Derek Parker, the flag runner of the series, is a difficult matchup for any seeker. Getting even one catch in that series was impressive, especially since it was Aaron Jin’s first MLQ catch. With Kaldis and Jin rostered (and Derek Parker not flag running), the Raiders should be comfortable with their seekers’ ability to execute. Last season, the matchup between Kaldis and Peterson was electric, both catching, but with Kaldis coming out on top 2-1 in the series. With how close this series will be, the Raiders should feel really good with Kaldis and Jin rostered and Peterson, Sun and Theuerkauf not. A 35 point cushion is huge in a tight series. While Detroit was able to win without catches last season, it’s up in the air whether they can repeat. If the Raiders’ beaters can give their seekers looks, they will execute and cause a major momentum swing after 20 minutes.
Prediction:
On the Detroit-side it looks like they have maintained their beater strength from last season for this upcoming series. While they have lost some key pieces at chaser, they still are returning a handful of goal producers. The major questions at seeker will need to be answered, especially in tight games at 20 minutes.
Almost the exact opposite can be said about Toronto. The team’s strength comes after 20-minutes in the seeking game. In the chasing game, they have lost a couple players, but their main goal-scorers from the series last year are all returning. Yet, they still are figuring out the beater rotation, especially after their losses this season.
With these two teams having opposing strengths and weaknesses, viewers should get their popcorn ready. Look for the first split series of the MLQ season to take place in Toronto on Saturday. Expect a nail-biter or two and the outcomes that have colossal implications for August.
Prediction: DET 2-1
