Career
He played for several seasons with Brynäs IF in the Swedish league Elitserien (Studies in English Literature) and was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round of the 1996 National Hockey League Entry Draft. In Ottawa he was well suited as a defence-minded forward, who scored few goals but played an important role on the penalty kill and when trying to keep leads. After acquiring Bill Muckalt from the New York Islanders the Senators traded Dackell due to his more expensive contract.
He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens during the 2001 draft for a seventh round pick.
Dackell saw less success in Montreal than he had in Ottawa. During the 2004-2005 lockout he returned to Brynäs IF, and remained there until the end of his career.
In the 2011-2012 season, Dackell went through a knee surgery in October 2011 and only played 16 games in the regular season. After 6 playoff games, Dackell announced his retirement, citing his knee injury.