ANAHEIM, Calif. - Defenceman Simon Despres has agreed to a five-year, $18.5 million contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks announced the deal Friday, a day before their season opener at San Jose.

Despres has made an impressive rise with the Ducks since they acquired him in a trade with Pittsburgh on March 2.

He immediately won a regular spot in Anaheim's lineup with physical two-way play, scoring six points in the Pacific Division champions' final 16 regular-season games. Despres then stepped up in the playoffs, scoring seven points while the Ducks fell one game short of the Stanley Cup Final.

The 24-year-old Despres was a first-round pick by the Penguins in 2009, and he rose through Pittsburgh's minor-league system before the club traded him to Anaheim for defenceman Ben Lovejoy.

Despres would have been a restricted free agent next summer.