Dawes played
junior ice hockey for the
Kootenay Ice in the
Western Hockey League. In his first year, the Ice won the
2002 Memorial Cup after winning the
President's Cup as champions of the WHL. Dawes improved his play in his next two seasons in the WHL, and, for the
2003–04 season, he was named a first team All-Star in the Western Conference, the winner of the
Brad Hornung Trophy (most sportsmanlike), and the Ice's
most valuable player. Dawes was drafted in the fifth round, 149th overall, in the
2003 NHL entry draft by the
New York Rangers, after two seasons in the WHL. After three seasons of junior hockey and four games in the
American Hockey League for the
Hartford Wolf Pack at the end of the
2003–04 season, the Rangers signed Dawes to his first professional contract on September 1, 2004, when he was 19 years old. After playing in seven games then being a healthy scratch for seven of the next eight, Dawes was sent down to play with the Wolf Pack for the rest of the
2006–07 season. He returned to play in the Rangers' final game of the playoffs on May 6, 2007. Game six against the
Buffalo Sabres in the
Eastern Conference Semifinals was Dawes's first NHL playoff game. While Dawes was trying to block a shot, the first Sabres goal deflected off of his body to go into the net past goalie
Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers lost the game 5–4 to lose the series 4–2. Dawes recorded his first NHL assist in the 2007–08 season. Dawes had become a good shootout option for the Rangers, scoring four times on seven attempts at that point. During regular play, played as high as the second line at points during the 2007–08 season. On July 16, 2008, Dawes re-signed with the Rangers to a one-year, $587,500 contract. On March 4, 2009, Dawes was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes along with
Dmitri Kalinin and
Petr Průcha for
Derek Morris. On July 16, 2009, Dawes was claimed off waivers by the Calgary Flames. On September 8, 2010, Dawes signed a one-year, two-way contract with the
Atlanta Thrashers worth $600,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the
American Hockey League (AHL). He was traded on February 24, 2011, to the Montreal Canadiens, along with
Brent Sopel for
Ben Maxwell and a 4th-round pick in the
2011 NHL entry draft. On May 31, 2011, Dawes left the NHL and signed a one-year contract with
Kazakhstan-based
Barys Astana of the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He continued the relationship through the 2017–18 season. On July 14, 2020, Dawes as a free agent and the fifth leading scorer in KHL history extended his tenure in Russia, signing a one-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan. On June 11, 2021, Dawes signed a two-year contract with
Adler Mannheim of the
Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). At the conclusion of his contract with Adler Mannheim and hampered by injury, Dawes announced his retirement following 17 professional seasons. ==International play==