INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE 2020: Toronto Titans
- 2019 finish: N/A (new franchise)
Full Roster
| Women | Men | |
| 1 | Kylie Masse | Michael Chadwick |
| 2 | Kelsey Wog | Blake Pieroni |
| 3 | Lisa Bratton | Yuri Kisil |
| 4 | Rebecca Smith | Finlay Knox |
| 5 | Emily Overholt | Mack Darragh |
| 6 | Anika Apostalon | Shane Ryan |
| 7 | Jocelyn Ulyett | Andriy Govorov |
| 8 | Michelle Coleman | Aleksandr Krasnykh |
| 9 | Anna Egorova | Sergey Fesikov |
| 10 | Louise Hansson | Cole Pratt |
| 11 | Julie Meynen | Anton McKee |
| 12 | Claire Fisch | Brent Hayden |
| 13 | Tess Cieplucha | Erik Persson |
| 14 | Candice Hall | Jay Lelliot |
| 15 | Tayla Lovemore | Elijah Wall |
| 16 | Jhennifer Conceicao | Daniil Pasynkov |
2020 Depth Charts
Our depth charts are equal parts research and prognostication. While most of our ordering is based around best times on record, we’ve also done some guesswork based on time conversions from short course yards and/or long course meters, or in cases where athletes don’t have recent results in a specific event. These depth charts are intended to show the top options for each event, even if the specific event lineup may prevent a top swimmer from entering all of the events where they rank in the top two.
Potential skin races are shown in blue, and the events with relay considerations in red.
Strengths
Canadian Kylie Masse should be one of the league’s top backstrokers, especially with Kathleen Baker (who broke Masse’s long course world record) bowing out for the season. She’s a pretty good three-distance backstroker, but Lisa Bratton’s specialty in the 200 helps cover Masse’s weakest distance (relatively speaking). The men have a similar setup, with speedster Shane Ryan manning the sprints and Cole Pratt covering the 200.
Women’s fly has the potential to be a huge strength. Louise Hansson was one of the NCAA’s top flyers and is used to carrying a big event load to help a team.
The men’s freestyles could be outstanding, especially in the upper distances. Aleksandr Krasnykh has a chance to be one of the better 200/400 types in the league, and Blake Pieroni‘s range really lends itself well to the format.
Weaknesses
The women’s sprints took a big hit with Kayla Sanchez bowing out due to surgery. Michelle Coleman is still solid, but Sanchez was an absolute game-changer last year as the #13 overall MVP scorer in the league.
Women’s breaststroke is very thin, with only two women even on the depth chart in the 200. Toronto will hope Kelsey Wog is as great as she was last ISL season.
The IMs on both sides will need some big swims to keep scoring pace. That’s even more pressing with Alberto Razzetti off the roster late.
Skins
Free: Coleman is a good freestyle addition, and her 200 speed bodes well for the multi-round skin races. For the men, Sergey Fesikov and Andriy Govorov have more speed, but Blake Pieroni probably has the endurance. It might be a gamble on whether Pieroni can make it past the first round, or whether Toronto should try to get one of the other two into the second round and just take the points.
Back: Backstroke should be great for the Titans on both sides. Masse and Coleman are excellent entrants, and Ryan should also be very good.
Breast: Anton McKee and Erik Persson are definitely more 200 specialists – but maybe that helps if they can get by the first cuts. Jhennifer Conceicao seems like a decent addition, but a career-best of 30.0 puts her behind the eight-ball.
Fly: Hansson should be outstanding, and Tayla Lovemore is a good sprinter. For the men, Govorov should really shine here, and Fesikov has also been 22-high.
Outlook
Toronto’s roster is pretty solid across the board, but they don’t have enough standout threats to win events to look like one of the preseason favorites. Losing Sanchez was a big blow – it’s hard to quantify just how good she was in the ISL format last year.
Still, there are some huge talents. Masse was a top-30 overall swimmer in the league last year by MVP points. Hansson might be one of the most underrated rookies in the league this year, especially with her versatility.
It’s the relay depth that will really decide the Titans fate. They’ve got five men on the roster with career-bests of 46.7 or better in the 100 free, and six women below 53, even without Sanchez. If the middle of the roster (NCAA pickups like Claire Fisch and Julie Meynen or ISL free agents like Michael Chadwick or Yuri Kisil) can swim well mid-season, then this roster takes a big step forward.
I feel like they have a chance to be a “sneaky good” team, depending on how good the other teams are, especially if a swimmer can step up and play a bigger role, especially if that swimmer(s) can win events. They have good depth/relays, and a star swimmer in Masse who will likely win a few times. Excited to see what they can do in their first season. Also, they have like the worst logo in the league…and teams that lose the logo race often swim fast. Should be called the “ISL Logo Curse”.
Kelsey Wog could be huge dark horse. She was 106/222 LC breast in “Feb” last year. She’s a world class 200im er and a depth option in 200 free, maybe 100 on a B relay. She was/is looking to be a breakout star for Canada in Tokyo, possibly the key medal threat leg in breaststroke that puts Can from medal threat to pushing US for gold.
Will sanchez compete if the make finals? They have a good shot of getting there along with ES, London, Cali and Iron
Last time I spoke with Toronto GM Rob Kent, he said she was in “100%” if they made the finals. When I spoke to her coach, though, he said she was probably out for the season, likely until January or February.
So, may just be a game time decision.
Fingers crossed then. Coleman and Sanchez would be a dangerous duo for freestyle and skins, especially with both having a 200 background?